Flashbacks and Returns
by Trakrat
Summary: 5 years ago, Haku promised me that he'd return. Now, just when I'm beginning to lose faith in him, he returns. But his arrival isn't as wonderful as expected...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I only own the area and school because it's based off of ones nearby where I live, and some of the people.

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_***flashback***_

_**"I can't go any farther" Haku said "just go back the way you came, you'll be fine; but you have to promise not to look back, not until you've passed through the tunnel."**_

_**"But what about you? I wondered aloud "What'll you do?"**_

_**"Don't worry, I'll go back and have a talk with Yubaba. I'll tell her I'm going to quit being her apprentice."**_

_**I squirmed uneasily, and he smiled.**_

_**"I'm fine, I got my name back."**_

_**"Will we meet again sometime?" I just had to ask.**_

_**"Sure we will," he said without a moment's hesitation.**_

_**"Promise?"**_

_**"Promise, now go; and don't look back!"**_

_***end of flashback***_

_**My hand slipped out of his as I walked down the stone steps. I walked through the meadow until I saw my parents near the shrine.**_

_**5 years later, and Haku still hasn't returned...  
**_

_**

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**_

"Chihiro!!" my dad called to me from outside. I yanked my boots on.

"My turn! Finally!" I said to my mother, who was helping me put the snowmobile helmet on. Our family had one snowmobile, and I liked to ride; I hated driving. We only went out a few times a year, and I loved it! Once all of my stuff was put on, I lumbered out. My father looked at me and started laughing.

"Is the helmet a little heavy honey??" he laughed

"Oh, just shut up!" I laughed too.

Once I was on, we left the driveway. We entered the trail and followed it into the woods. The woods were near the "abandoned amusement park" and I really hated going near there alone. I used to go play in the woods there for the first year, but now, I just simply looked out my window at night, scanning the sky for him. Then I just simply wiped away tears and went to bed, often awakened in the middle of the night by nightmares.

Shaking away that thought, I raised my eyes to the sky, and with that action, I forever changed my life…

**So waddya think?? It's not the best now… but it's gonna get better, I promise!!**

**Please Review, flames aren't welcome, but constructive criticism is!!**


	2. Haku

**Disclaimer**: I only own the area and school because it's based off of ones nearby where I live, and some of the people.

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Trying to clear my head, I raised my eyes to the sky. The sky was filled with thick, cream colored clouds. The sun's rays couldn't totally shine through, but you could see the outline of it. I gazed at it until y eyes hurt. Suddenly, we hit a huge bump; I almost flew off! I grunted and sat up again. We were in the woods now. I shivered and looked at the sky again. Through the trees, I saw something. It looked like a flock of sea green birds. In the front of the flock, there were a lot of them, but they thinned out into a line. The line seemed to writhe and twist. I watched, mesmerized. The birds passed over the faintly gleaming sun, and i gasped. I realized that it wasn't birds, but a white dragon with a sea green mane.

(AN: I had no other idea of what else to call it, if you have one, let me know, it'll come up later!)

Following behind the dragon, was a giant black bird. I mean, this thing was huge!! It looked like it was the size of my father! It seemed to be attacking it. All of a sudden, the wounds from the past were knitting together, as i put the pieces together.

"Haku..." I whispered in disbelief.

He dropped from the sky, toward our snowmobile. He maintained a height of about my eye level. The bright, intelligent emerald eyes scanned mine curiously. I noticed that his body was covered with blood and he had several long, deep, open wounds. I stretched my hand out to him, and motioned for him to come closer. Suddenly, he landed on my lap. He twisted his body around so he was behind me, on the back of the snowmobile.

My heart was pounding. If my father saw Haku, he would freak out! I couldn't just leave him behind to die though! I couldn't believe that he was there though! After all these years-

"Chihiro? Are you listening to me?"

"Huh? Sorry dad, I was daydreaming. What did you say?"

"I asked if you were ready to go home now?"

Yeah, sure" I said, nervously shifting to hide Haku from sight.

"We just need to get some gas at Rite Time, ok?"

" M'kay dad."

At the small town store, I got off the snowmobile to stretch my legs. I turned to look at Haku. He was licking his wounds like a cat. I removed my helmet to smile at him. His eyes widened when he saw me.

"Haku, you need to just stay there and hang on until we get to my house, ok?" I whispered out of the corner of my mouth.

He nodded once and I smiled again.

"It's so great to see you again. I'm so glad that you came back for me!" I whispered again.

His eyes seemed to gleam brighter as I put my helmet on and climbed on. I knew that now, nothing would ever be the same.

_**So?? ya like??? More people will be in soon. Review!! I promise, that once he can talk to me, and once I don't have a helmet on, the chapters will be longer! **_


	3. Yubaba

**Disclaimer**: I only own the area and school because it's based off of ones nearby where I live, and some of the people.

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Finally, we arrived at our house. The back of my snowsuit was wet and sticky, and I knew it was a dark red. I was worried that Haku had lost too much blood. As we pulled in the driveway, I gently put my hand on him. He growled a little but let me leave my hand there. I pointed to my bedroom window, and I felt his body slither away. I watched him glide to the window, open it with his tail, and glide in, shutting it behind him. I giggled at his habits.

"So kiddo, how was your ride?" My mom asked, helping me unbuckle the helmet.

"Good, but now I'm tired, I think I'm gonna go upstairs and go to sleep, alright?" I said, faking a yawn.

"Ok honey, if you get hungry, I'll leave a plate in the microwave for you, alright? Goodnight sweetie." she replied.

I made my way up the stairs, purposely trying to look slumped and tired. I froze on the top step as a massive crash came from my room, followed by a hissing noise.

"Oh crap, Haku!" I said through clenched teeth.

I ran the few steps to my bedroom door and ducked as a piece of my bed frame flew toward me. Haku was on the floor, avoiding flying debris. On my bed, ripping the bed frame apart and throwing clothes, books and CD's was...

"Yubaba!!" I screamed after I slammed my door shut. The witch turned to look at me, and I gasped. She looked horrible! He hair was askew, her gold earrings missing, her make-up streaked with grime, blood, and sweat, and her normally fancy clothes were torn, filthy, bloody and ragged. Her chest was heaving.

"Sen." She spat, her voice full of a venom that I didn't expect.

"I've changed haven't I? You did this to me! It's all your fault, YOU DID ALL OF THIS! YOU DID THIS TO ME, IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! YOU DID-"

"That's enough!"

My heart lurched as I heard that voice. I turned Haku had transformed. He looked the same, except his hair was longer, he was taller and his voice was a little deeper. His eyes twinkled dangerously at Yubaba, who was still staring murderously at me. I gulped and tried to hold her eyes. Have you ever looked someone in the eyes and known they were crazy? Its a creepy feeling!

"Leave Sen alone, NOW!" he screamed the last word, and she flinched. She spat in his direction "I'll will get her soon Haku, just watch!" She twisted around and was airborne again. I collapsed against the wall and sobbed. Haku came over to me and put his arms around me, just like that one time before. Soon, I was fast asleep on his chest.

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I woke up to see the sun struggling to shine through my closed shades. I looked around. My room wasn't destroyed, like it had been in my dream. Tears welled to my eyes as I remembered. I tried to sit up, but something held me back. I turned to see Haku sitting with his back against the wall, his arms around my waist. His face was so peaceful as he slept. I realized i was sitting on his lap and a faint blush colored my cheekbones. Suddenly, hs eyes opened. He looked down at me, smiling.

"Chihiro." he said quietly.

I just gazed at his eyes in wonder. I thought it had all been a dream...

"Chihiro? Do you remember me?"

"Haku... it's really you!" I whispered.

"Yes, it's really me."

I threw my arms around his neck and sobbed into his chest. I felt him tense against me for a moment, then return my embrace.

"I thought it was all a dream... and that you were still back there..." I said between sobs.

"I know, I know." he soothingly stroked my hair. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"You've changed."

"So have you."

"How is everyone?"

"Fine, Lin really misses you, and so have I."

I turned to look at him. His fingers were wound in my hair.

"What did Yubaba mean when she said I did that to her?"

His sighed and looked down at me sadly.

"It's a long story..."

"Please tell me." i placed my hand on his cheek. He put his hand on top of mine and smiled at me.

"Alright. It all happened when you left..."

_**CLIFFHANGER!! SO WHAT DO YOU THINK?? I COULD USE SOME REVIEWS... FIRST PERSON WHO REVIEWS I WILL READ ONE OF THEIR STORIES!! LOL, I'LL READ ONE OF ALL THE REVIEWER'S STORIES IF I CAN! I WILL UPDATE SOON! **_


	4. Flashbacks

**Disclaimer**: I only own the area and school because it's based off of ones nearby where I live, and some of the people.

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Ok, first, a special thank you to **little princess**** of mercury **for my first review!! :-D

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"Chihiro," Haku said gently as the sun rose more in the sky through my blinds. "You remember what the final test Yubaba gave you was?"

"Yeah, I had to guess which one of the pigs were my parents, why?" I was guessing what could've happened in my head.

'Well, after you'd left, I went to the bathhouse again; it was in total shambles. Rin, Kamajii, and some others had packed up and were leaving, despite their contracts."

"Rin remembered her real name, it's Riko (jasmine) and Kamajii's is Katsutoshi (to win cleverly)."

{AN-Thanks to . and . for the names!}

"Anyway, people started leaving left and right. Everybody found some way to remember their names. Soon, only Yubaba, myself, and a few unfortunate ones who couldn't remember were left."

"Why did you stay?" I was very puzzled.

"She tried to put the spell back on me, but it didn't work. I knew she was after you, so I acted like it had worked."

"Why though, I didn't do anything..."

"Because of the way you were treated, the others had their eyes opened. They couldn't stand her anymore, so they did anything to leave."

I sighed. He was still playing with my hair, and goosebumps rose whenever he touched my scalp.

"I had to stay that way for 5 years, spying on her, making sure that she had no plans to hurt you. She pretty much ran the bathhouse by herself. Can you imagine that??"

I closed my eyes and tried to imagine Yubaba running throughtout the bathhouse, running the boilers, washing the floors, greetiing the few customers, all at hyperspeed. I laughed.

"About 4 months or so, everyone stopped coming. We had no more customers. At first, she just acted like it was just a little slump, and that it would pass eventually, but it didn't..."

"Even Boh had left. She was clearly losing her mind. She would be sleeping, and suddenly, she'd be alert, running around the room, screaming about how you ruined her, and how that you'd taken her baby away. It was chaos, pure chaos."

"Then, once the others ran away, it was just me and her. It was about 2 months after the 'little slump' and she was almost totally broke. She was depressed and truely crazy. She summoned me to tell me to find you, and at once, i knew that now, she was finally after you. As soon aas she told me, i flew out of her study. She chased me, even through to your world. That's when you found me."

"Wow, Haku... I had no idea..."

I sat there for a few minutes, trying to comprehend it all. I had caused Yubaba to go insane...

"Hey, Haku?"

I turned when I got no reply to see that he had fallen asleep. I smiled and snuggled into his arms.

..."Sweet dreams Haku."

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You like it? I gotta go, Secret life is on soon!!! AHHH!!! I hope you like it, reviews are more than welcome!!


	5. Haku's Day at home

**Disclaimer**: I only own the area and school because it's based off of ones nearby where I live, and some of the people.

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Haku woke up to see the blinds and curtains were opened, streaming sunlight into the room. He looked down and

stood up fast, realizing that Chihiro was no longer in his arms. He ran over to the window and opened it, beginning to transform, when he saw something. A note was taped to the window.

**_Haku,_**

**_When you wake up, please don't freak out when you realize I'm gone._**

He chuckled softly, inhaling her sweet perfume off of the note. She knew him so well.

**_I had to go to school today. I have mid-terms, which are very big tests. I tired to fake being sick so that I could stay home with you, but my mom didn't believe me. :-)_** **_I'll be back soon, around the time the watch on your wrist beeps. Today is shorter that normal, but it'll still be a while. My mother will come upstairs to get my laundry a little after you wake up, hopefully. (Unless you sleep forever...) If she comes, hide. Do whatever you want, just please be careful. _**

**_Chihiro _**

Haku sighed and put the note in his pocket. He looked at the "watch" on his wrist. The number he knew, but it looked confusing...

(AN, link to the type on my profile, but mine is pinkish... Go IRONMAN!! Tee hee!)

He looked around the room he was going to be in for the day. Haku sat down on the edge of the bad, and sighed, already bored. He looked in front of him. There was a black box with a sliver screen sat on a small table in front of him. He looked curiously at the object. There were buttons across the front. He slowly pushed the biggest one.

"-and once you take the custard out of the freezer, it'll have to cool for ten minutes before you can pour the sauce over the top, or else it'll shock it."

A woman in the box was yelling at him and pulling a cake like food out of a tall white closet. He clamped his hands over his ears, which were more sensitive to noise than most people. He clumsily hit the first button he could reach.

"-we got the newest hit single, **_Rakuen_**, from DAI coming up in a few minutes, but first, let's check out Natasha Bedingfield. Her newest American hit, Angel, is burning up the charts, and so is David Archuleta."

He groaned and hit another button. This one turned the voices off, but they were still moving. He pressed the button farthest to the right. The screen went totally black. He sighed and sat on the bed again.

"Ok, that's off limits from now on…"

He walked over to her desk. (Man, he just won't learn!!J) A notebook was sticking out of a shelf, and papers were strewn across the top. The notebook was labeled INCOMPLETE SKETCHES: KEEP OUT!! in a thick, black text. Haku looked around, as if she was there, watching him. He opened the book slowly. On the first page, was a sketch of him, holding out his hand to Chihiro for her to take. Her cheeks were darkened, and she was smiling serenely, and there were minuscule hearts in their eyes. He chuckled and turned the page. All of the pictures featured himself and her. He noted that she was quite the artist. One of the sketches was her on his back, all those years ago. It was quite accurate too.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. He dropped the notebook and dashed into the closet. He saw a pair of shoes walk across the floor. Her mother came to the mouth of the closet and picked up some clothes. She started to pull back the clothes around him, but stopped when her the lady talking about cooking started yelling again. She ran over and stopped her. Then she picked up the clothes she dropped and left.

Haku peered out of the clothes and looked down at the watch. It suddenly beeped loudly. He ran over to the window and watched outside for Chihiro. He anxiously glanced between the watch face and the driveway covered in snow.

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around his thin waist. He glanced around and saw Chihiro's bright face.

"Hey, how was your classes?" he asked, rubbing as she face against his back.

"Ugh, awful. I really wished I could've stayed home..."

"By the way, we have to talk about that box on your table." He said, taking her hand and walking to the bed.

"You mean.. the television??" she asked, dumbfounded.

"yeah... what's the point of trapping people in the box?" he demanded.

"Oh jeez...."

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_**ok, i don't mean to portray Haku as dumb, but he hasn't seen these thing before... If i was too harsh, let me know. Again, reviews are more than welcome!! The next chapter will be up soon!  
**_


	6. The Test

**Disclaimer**: I only own the area and school because it's based off of ones nearby where I live, and some of the people. I don't own the one teacher.... tee hee!!

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I put my face in my hands. I had my final mid-terms test today, and I couldn't go home early, like before. Last time, Haku had discovered the "joys" of television, and accused our era of trapping people in boxes. I smiled at the memory of that night. I looked down at the test.

Question 48)

**Please write a paragraph explaining the myth below. Minimum 3-5 sentences and use as many facts as possible.**

**_Once long ago, there was an evil serpent demon. He turned into a man at will, and preyed on innocent humans. He lured them to him by gaining their trust and charming them with his looks. In order to bring them to him, however, he turned their family or friends into pigs. They were distraught and easily believed him. One time, a woman named Sen wandered into his territory. He easily turned her parents into hogs; they were hungry from traveling and were foolish. Sen was the only one who didn't eat, and Haku soon gained the upset girl's trust. He told her that the Queen of the land, Yubaba, had transformed them. The girl was told to gain a job at the castle to return her parents to normal. There, she learned his true nature as a serpent demon, and assisted him in kidnapping her son, 3 workers, and a solid gold seal. Sen took the items to Yubaba's sister, Zeniba's house. There, Zeniba claimed the seal as her own, and gave the gullible girl a hair band so that only Haku could get close to her. Once they returned, Yubaba asked kindly for her son, workers and seal back, but Sen refused. She kidnapped all of the workers, her parents and stole most of Yubaba's fortune. Haku then placed a charm on the queen so she was frozen in place. Haku then whisked her away. Once they were far away from any civilization, he killed her and ate her and the workers. He spent all of Yubaba's money, and the queen remained there frozen for all eternity. _**

"Chihiro? Are you alright?" said a voice quietly.

I angrily shushed the person.

"Oops, sorry Mrs. Higurashi."

"Chihiro, are you alright dear? You look a little... well... upset..."

I realized that I was shaking, and the desk had a small crack under my hand. The desks were cheap, their superintendent was really cheap and stupid...

"Yeah, I'm ok... I just don't feel to good anymore."

The sweet woman smiled down at her. "Honey, if you don't feel good, you have to go home. Since you only have this question and the essay left, you can't really cheat, so it's alright."

"Thanks Mrs. Higurashi, I think I will go home, but can you do me a favor really quick?"

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Haku had Chihiro's notebook out again, but this time, he was reading the poems in the back. She was really good and all of her poems were about romance or heartbreak.

_5 years ago,_

_I met the man of my dreams._

_He's tall, smart, handsome,_

_I know he'll always be there for me._

_But I miss him badly,_

_He's been gone for so long._

_My heart's constant crying _

_has turned into a depressed song._

_I'd give so much just to see his face again,_

_to hear his voice in my ear._

_Is he still alive, looking for me out there?_

_he holds a spot in my heart very dear._

Haku was shocked to read that one. It was so... intense.

"Wow, Chihiro..." he sighed.

_How much I'd give to be in his arms,_

_He just has that certain charm. _

_I wish that he'd kiss my lips and hold me tight,_

_In my soul there'd spark a warm, glowing light._

_I never wanted to say goodbye,_

_It's a mystery why I didn't cry._

_Maybe I knew that it wasn't the end,_

_maybe I knew we're supposed to more than just friends. _

_No matter what, I'll love him for all of my life,_

_One day, I'd be honored to be his wife._

"HAKU!!"

He threw the notebook down in shock, only to see a red faced Chihiro, clutching a sheet of paper in her hands. He looked out of breath and startled.

"Why are you looking through this??" I asked picking up the notebook, looking to see what page it was on.

"Ummm... well, Chihiro, I'm really sorry, I just-"

"Haku..." she said quietly. He looked down to see a face filled with hurt and sadness.

"Chihiro... I really am sorry. It was stupid of me to do that. I promise I won''t again."

I gave him a small smile and sighed.

"Well, it doesn't really matter, since you've already read almost all of it..." I blushed, and basing by the smile on his face, I'm guessing my face was pretty darn red.

"What's that in your hand?" He asked me suddenly.

I felt anger course through my veins like a wildfire. I started shaking.

"Here, Yubaba must've done this..."

Haku took the paper. I sat on my bed and held my knees close to my chest. I wrapped my arms around them and put my face in my legs. I felt tears of anger, fear and hopelessness well up in my eyes.

Haku read the paper slowly. I watched out of the corner of my eye and saw him growing angrier and angrier with every word. I buried my face again and quietly wept. Haku wrapped a strong arm around my shaking shoulders.

"What are we gonna do Haku?" I cried

I turned to look at him . He put a hand on the side of my face, wiping away a few stray tears. I looked deep into his eyes and thought to myself, "_Oh my goodness, what's happening?? I think he might want to kiss me..."_ As if he read my thoughts, Haku slowly started to lean closer to me. I forze up for a split second, but leaned in too. We were maybe a centimeter away or two when I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I froze and opened my eyes again. Haku was at my closet door, trying to open it.

"Haku, it's locked, hold on!!" I ran over and tried to wrench the door open. The lock often got stuck and locked itself, and it sucked. Suddenly, my door flew open. I froze. My mother stood there, staring at me. She shouldn't be able to see Haku though...

"Chihiro, who is that??" my mother quietly demanded.

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**I love reviews!! i don't know where it'll go from here, but I've got some ideas... lol! **


	7. Telling my Mother

**Disclaimer**: I only own the area and school because it's based off of ones nearby where I live, and some of the people.

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I froze in place, my hands still on the door handle. Haku was behind me, probably frozen as well.

"Chihiro, who's your friend, and why is he in your room?" my mother asked, setting the laundry basket down and crossing her arms.

"Mom..." I somehow managed to croak out, despite the fact that Haku was quietly murmuring to me to be quiet.

"Well. who is he?"

"You can... you can see him Mom?!" I almost screamed.

"Yes honey, why wouldn't I be able to? It's not like he's imaginary..." she trailed off, looking nervous.

"Mom, you aren't supposed to be able to see him."

Haku placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently.

"Get your hand off of my daughter you-"

'Mom!!" I yelled. My mother recoiled as if I had slapped her. I had no idea how to put this...

"Mom, it's a really long story, and once I tell you, you'll either think I'm insane or making it up so I really don't wanna share it..."

"Chihiro," Haku said quietly beside me. I turned to look at him. He nodded.

"Mom, remember when we first moved here..."

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**Haku's POV**

I listened intently as Chihiro told the entire story, including the fact that I had saved her all those years ago and that Yubaba was currently after us. Her mother would glance over at me every now and again looking like she wanted to murder me, but as the story went on, the looks grew softer and softer until they were pure sympathy. I could tell that Chihiro was relieved to finally tell someone this. I found myself thinking about my own family, and I wondered what had happened to them, who they were, and if they were alive, if they remembered me at all.

"Chihiro... I had no idea, why didn't you tell me all of this sooner?" her mother questioned, bringing me out of my reverie.

"I needed to protect you and Dad. If you guys knew about this, you guys were in more danger than if you guys were clueless." A lone tear snaked its way down her pale cheek. I put a comforting arm around her shaking shoulders.

"Sweetheart, should we tell your father?" her mom asked cautiously. She didn't want to push Chihiro over the breaking point.

"No," she sniffed heavily, "not yet. He'll act too rash, that or he won't believe me. But mom, how can you see him? Nobody else can unless Haku allows them or unless they've been there..."

"Chihiro, I promise you I've never met him before, so I don't know how I can see him." she stood up, gave her daughter a peck on the cheek, picked up the laundry basket and left.

Chihiro burst out in full fledged, yet quiet sobs. I tightened my arm around her.

"Haku, why me? What did I do to deserve this??"

I gently laid down on the bed with her in my arms. She was almost sobbing hysterically. She turned and wept into my chest. I'm guessing that all of the tension, stress, fear and anger finally overwhelmed her.

"Chihiro, it's not your fault. Just get some sleep, alright?" I murmured softly into her hair.

The young girl wept into me for a while longer before exhaustion set in and she fell asleep. I reached over and covered her up with a blanket. Asleep, she looked so peaceful and calm. I swept a loose lock of hair from her face gently. There was an edge of darkness around my circle of vision, and it was growing larger by the minute. Finally I let it take over my body and I drifted into unconsciousness, into my dreams, where Chihiro waited for me.

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Kawa (Chihiro's mother) POV

**(AN: the name means 'river')**

I listened to my sweet daughter's story, growing more and more shocked by the moment. Why didn't she tell me this?

I would've helped her sooner. This was all too much. I could tell that she was only hanging on by a thread, and so was I. I suddenly needed to leave.

"Chihiro," I started, laughing humorlessly, "I promise you I've never seen him before, so I have no idea how I can see him." With that, I was gone. I leaned against her door and heard her start to totally break down. A hard lump rose in my throat, and I slid down to the ground and sobbed too.

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Chihiro's POV

I woke up the next morning, but kept my eyes shut. For one reason, I was in Haku's arms again, and I didn't want to leave. Another reason was that I was ashamed for how I had acted last night. The third reason... well, I had cried so much that my eyes were glued shut. I snuggled closer into his warm, strong chest. I slowly cracked one eye open, just enough to see if he was awake. He seemed to be fast asleep, but as I looked up at him, his arms tightened around me and he sighed. I was stunned by the look on his face. Concern and heartbreak were the emotions I read the most, but he also looked a little nervous and upset. My heart lurched guiltily. I felt bad about getting so upset last night. Not wanting to wake Haku, I slowly and carefully turned my head to look the clock. It read off as 7:30. Suddenly, Haku's arms tightened around me again and I felt something brush against my cheek, sending a rush of heat through my body.

"Morning Chihiro. How are you feeling?" He said gently into my hair. I turned and put my hand on his cheek so I could look him straight in the eyes.

"Haku..." left-over tears from the other night welled up in my eyes. Crap, and I thought I was dry! "I'm really sorry for the other night." I winced when my voice cracked on 'sorry'.

"It's alright. You've been stressed out and tense and you needed a release." he said gently, running a hand through my chocolate hair.

"But... you looked so upset..."

"You silly little girl, you think too much about me." he laughed and touched the corner of my mouth gently. I smiled a little.

"Well I have to, if I didn't, nobody would. Not that I mind however..." I trailed off, my face heating up. Haku used a finger to raise my chin so I was looking him in the eyes again. We stayed there for a moment, our breathing careful and quiet, swimming in each others eyes. I smiled up at him, and he smiled back.

"Chihiro... I-I... " he took a deep breath to steady his shaking voice. "I love you." His face was a deep red, and he tore his gaze away from mine.

Me? Well, I was in pure shock. I soon realized that I was holding my breath in and took a deep breath. When he said those words, my heart skipped a few beats, and my entire body was taken over by a warm, glow.

"I love you too Haku." I said in a quiet yet steady voice.

Haku whipped his head around to look at me in glorious exultation. There were stars dancing in his eyes. I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I was so relieved that he felt the same. Using the same finger under my chin, he slowly pulled me closer to him once again. This time, however, my mind was 100% certain about this, and I was having no confused feelings. I closed my eyes and sighed as my lips gently brushed against his. The warm glow surged through my body once again as my fingers locked into his hair. He had one hand on the small of my back and one hand on my cheek, pulling me closer. I wrapped my other arm around his neck and sighed again.

We remained in total bliss for a few more moments until Haku gently pulled away. I wrapped my arms around his neck tighter and he held me to his chest.

"Haku?"

"Hmm? he asked into my neck.

"Thank you for coming back."

He looked at me again and grinned. He gently kissed me again. This time wasn't as... intense... as last time, but I still melted at his touch. I snuggled further into his chest and fell asleep again, whispering his name over and over again.

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**Wow, for me, that was a long chapter, but i hope you have as much fun reading it as i did writing it!! This is by far my favorite one! Review are so welcome and totally appreciated!!! If you have an suggestions you want me to try to use, let me know!  
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	8. Mom!

Kawa's POV

It was the middle of the night. I woke up from the nightmares. I carefully got out of the bed, being careful not to wake my husband up. I reached under my bed and pulled out a box labeled MOM'S CHILDHOOD TOYS. Inside, was a small bag. it contained the clothes from all those years ago. As I looked at the heavy cloth, I realized that my daughter was indeed old enough for me to tell her. And now, she knew about this. I put the bag under the bed and closed the box. As I slid under the cover, I smiled, imagining their surprise when I told them in the morning.

* * *

Haku's POV

Chihiro soon fell asleep in my arms again, smiling and saying my name over again. I was unable to sleep though. For some reason, I felt uneasy and jumpy; almost as if someone was nearby...

Suddenly, as if to answer my questionable feelings, a dark shadow swept across the window. I felt my body tense up against hers. I watched as the figure seemed to fly past, as if it was just circling. It looked like it was a black shadow, and you could even tell where it was against the pre-dawn light. I instantly tightened my arms around Chihiro's thin form until it was gone. I could sense it was gone too. A wave of vertigo rushed through me, as if the shadow had sucked all of my strength. I gave in to the darkness trying to overcome me.

* * *

Chihiro's POV

_Suddenly, I was at a large, strong familiar river. My foot was sore and bleeding. I hurriedly ran around, looking for my other shoe. A slight flash of of pink alerted me. I ran to the bank of the familiar river and stretched out for it. I could hear my mother and father talking to each other in the woods. I knew I had to hurry. All of a sudden, I was in the river. I reached out for something to grab and felt something firm and smooth underneath me. I clung onto it, still under the surface of the water. It felt as if I was flying. Whatever it was carried me to the riverbank. It was gone and I was on my own. Just as suddenly as the thing has appeared, a hand was in the water. I grabbed it and clung on for my life. The person pulled me out. I looked up at him. He was wearing the blue clothes, and was holding my shoe. _

_"Thank you mister!" I said quietly taking my shoe. _

_"What's your name?" he said, smiling kindly. _

_"Chihiro, I'm 4!" I said proudly, holding up 5 fingers. He chuckled and put one down for me. _

_"Chihiro, where have you been, and why are you all wet?!" My mother called to me._

_"Mommy, I fell in the river, and this nice boy saved me!" I turned excitedly to show her, but he was gone, just a water spot remained where he had stood._

_"Come on honey, let's get you cleaned up, alright, and you know better than to talk to strangers."_

_I took her hand and we started to walk back to the car. I looked back to see him waving to me. I waved back to him happily. _

_*********_

"Chihiro, wake up!"someone said, shaking me gently. I woke up to see my mother shutting the window hurriedly.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"Haku woke me up, telling me that Yubaba is here again. He's looking for her, and I'm supposed to take you back to the Spirit World. C'mon!" she gasped, pulling me anxiously.

She had pulled me into the car before I could say a word. With a squeal of tires, we were out of the driveway. I frantically opened the window and stuck my head out. I could see Haku's long shape repeatedly attacking a patch of darkness in the sky.

"Haku..." I whimpered.

"Chihiro, get back in!!"

"Mom," I angrily asked pulling my head in ,"why are you so concerned. You only found out about all of this tonight!"

I noticed that she had tears in her eyes. I felt bad for yelling at her like that. She had to care; she was my mom, but she couldn't do much really...

"Chihiro, that's not true. I've known about all of this since I was a young child."

"Huh? What are you talking about mom?"

"Chihiro... I've been to the Spirit World too. I know about everything : Yubaba, Zeniba; everything! Is Kamajii still there?"

I gasped loudly. We had never told her about him...

"Mom, you really did go to the Spirit world!!!"

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**Cliffhanger! I'm so cruel!! It's getting to the end soon, but not really soon! I'd say maybe 10 or so more chapters, maybe more. Not really soon, but probably before this time next year! lol Ok, this isn't my best chapter.... :-) Review!!**

***Urgent!!* I've got a message on my Profile, so please check it out and reply if you think it's a good idea, m'kay? *hugs*  
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	9. Haku goes to fight

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**"Mom, why didn't you tell me sooner?" I choked out, realizing that I was now starting to cry.

"When? I had no idea that you'd been there..."

"What about after you met Haku?"

"Chihiro, you don't know what happened to me there. It was so horrible, I didn't want you to be afraid at some of your old friends..."

"Huh?" We were in front of the tunnel now. She got out of the car hurriedly. I got out and looked up at the sky frantically, desperate for a sign that Haku was alright...

"Chihiro!" I whipped my head around to Haku coming out of the forest. He was dirty and bleeding, and he looked exhausted. He almost fell over when I hugged him, but that might've been my fault...

"You're alright, oh thank God!!" I cried into his shoulder. He held me tight, and buried his face in my hair.

"Chihiro..." he murmured. He suddenly put his hands on my shoulder and pulled us slightly apart so I could look him in the eyes. Behind him, I could see my school, what looked only slightly like a castle, in the distance and elementary school just behind (well the way she's facing ahead) of us.

"Chihiro, this might be the last time I ever see you." He said in a voice so heart wrenching, the voice alone brought tears to my eyes; the words made me sob almost hysterically.

"No Haku, don't talk like that! You're stronger than her, and you c-"

I couldn't talk when his were lips on mine.

"Chihiro," he grimly started, "if something should happen to me, I want you to know one thing: I love you, more than my own life! I have since the moment we met!! If you find out something happened to me, don't go after Yubaba, just stay safe. I don't want you to get hurt, okay?"

I saw a few tears snake down his cheek.

"Alright Haku, I promise. I love you too, so I'll listen." I could hardly get the words out.

"Kawa, you know what to do, right/" he asked my mother loudly, never taking his eyes off of mine.

"Yeah, I got this."

"Ok." he held me tight again. I nestled myself in as close to him as I could.

"Goodbye Chihiro." His voice and his body was shaking.

"Haku!" I cried out of last minute desperation as he turned away from me and started to walk back into the forest.

"Do you really have to do this? Can't you stay with me?"

"No Chihiro, I have to protect you and your family. Your mom helped me, and I have to help her. Besides, I love you so much, I'd die in an instant, without second thoughts to save you." he smiled at me, nodded at my mother, and with that left.

"Chihiro, we have to go, now!" my mother insisted pulling my arm. I realized that I had fallen on my knees and was sobbing. I slowly got up, glanced one last time in the direction Haku had left and looked at the tunnel. Last time I followed my mother through the tunnel, it had changed my life. I took a deep breath and walked into the mouth of the tunnel.

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**Sorry this chapters so short!! Should I Write the story as a series, or as a whole story? Tell me in your reviews!! If nobody tells me, I'll write it in a series, and i'll end it sooner, but there will be multiple sequels. R & R and Check my profile!!!**


	10. The Spirit World

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(**Flashback,** real time, _Kawa's thoughts)_

As my mother led the way through the tunnel once again, I constantly wiped tears off of my cheeks. I didn't know my eyes had that much water!

"M-Mom?" I managed to choke out when were about halfway through.

**'Everybody watch your step!'**

**'Chihiro, don't cling like that, you'll make me trip!'**

"Yes Sweetie?" my mother hesitated before she answered.

_'I can't believe Haku said that to her... I didn't want to tell her until she was older...'_

"What did Haku mean when he said you had helped him and now he was helping you?" Part of me might've known, but I didn't want to even think of that possibility...

"Honey, it's a long story for another time. Maybe once we get to their house..." she trailed off as we reached the stone room. A door was at the end of the room.

_'That wasn't there before... this can't be good...'_

**'What is this place?'**

**'Oh... Do you hear that?'**

**'It sounds like a train!'**

**'We must be near a train station.'**

**'Come on, let's go check it out!'**

I followed her and we pushed the door open.

_'Oh my GOD!'_

"Oh, Mom, what's happened?!" I screamed in horror.

* * *

Haku's POV

Saying good-bye to Chihiro was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to stay with her and protect her. But then I remembered why Kawa needed to go with her, and suddenly I felt tenser.

A flame of pain raced through my arm. I yelled out in shock to see Yubaba, shooting green beams of light at me. I had no idea what they were, but they hurt. My arm was already numb...

I raised my arm to capture a ray and send it back to her, when I realized I physically couldn't. The beam had paralyzed my arm. I raised my head dodged another ray. It swept across my forehead, slitting my forehead and cutting my hair. Blood dripped into my eyes and onto my clothes. I quickly transformed and chased Yubaba, hoping that she wouldn't realize where Chihiro was now..

_'Oh Chihiro, please be safe...'_ I thought desperately.

* * *

The Spirit World was a disaster. The earth, once green and beautiful, was barren and black. Smoke still rose in lazy curls from craters and craks in the ground. Once again, I felt my knees give out from underneath me. I yelped as my legs hit the ground and shot back up. The ground was burning hot! I looked at my shins. They were red and raw.

"Come on sweetheart, we've gotta get to safety, quickly!" My mother gasped, pulling my along. I followed her as we lept over the river. Dead fish floated on the surface, and it had a greenish tint. We ran into the 'food court' as I had thought of it as. Buildings had been totally gutted and hollowed out. All that remained was the charred remains of the structure. Some buildings had been totally reduced to ash and rubble. The bridge was still standing, however, it was also black and dangerous looking. My mother stopped at the edge of the bridge.

"Katsutoshi, Riko!!" my mother suddenly yelled into the desolate landscape. The names sounded familiar, but i couldn't put my finger on it...I realized that it wasn't a huge pile of ash at the end of the bridge, it was what remained of the bathhouse. Smoke still surrounded the wreckage.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the smoke. I tensed in front of my mother, but she relaxed. I soon realized who the person was...

"RIN!!" I screamed.

The smoke had cleared, and I could see her clearly. She had aged a little, but it didn't make ehr look worse. Now, she looked stronger and tougher. Not to mention the fact that she was covered head to toe in soot. Her hair was just as it always had been, but she was wearing black and red flowered kimono.

"Sen!" she squealed and launched herself at me. I was wrapped up in her arms. I couldn't brethe, but I didn't care.

"Oh my God, you're alright after all these years, Sen, er...Chihiro!" she gasped.

"Lin, what happened here?"

But she wasn't looking at me anymore. SHe was looking over my shoulder, to my mother.

"K-Kawa??"

"Rin, it's really me!" my mother smiled and opened her arms. Rin let out a small sob and hugged my mother.

'What the heck is going on here??" i wondered bewildered.

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**Ok, I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while *dodges rays of green light* but I had like 4 projects all due for school. I had this idea, and I knew I'd forget it, so it took all of my small attention span to remember it until I could find time to update. A lot will be explained in the next chapter, i promise!!**

**R & R and....**

**wait for it....**

**keep waiting....**

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	11. Explaining Part 1 and AN

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"What is going on? Can anybody tell me?" I yelled in confusion.

"Chihiro, I had no idea.... If I had known..." Rin sobbed harder into my mother's shoulder.

"Honey, Rin is my sister." my mother smiled.

"Kamajii is our father." Rin wiped tears away and turned to face me.

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Haku's POV

"Just hold still, it'll sting for a minute, but this'll help." Zeniba quietly murmured to me, pouring a red liquid onto my arm.

I gritted my teeth together and braced myself. She poured the potion on my wound. It was as if she had lit a fire in my vein. I almost screamed aloud, but managed to just barely hold it in.

"That's it Haku, it's almost over." she soothingly said.

I groaned behind my losed mouth and tried to think of Chihiro. Her face entered my mind, and the pain was gone. I sighed and stood up.

"Haku, you can't leave, you're still injured!!"

"No," I firmly stated," I just remembered why I'm risking my life, and I'm not going to hide. Chihiro is too important to me."

"Haku..." she grabbed my arm gently and tried to pull me away from the mouth of the cave.

"That's sweet, it makes me want to barf!" a familiar voice hissed. An old member of the bathhouse staff that couldn't leave had been transformed. He was now a huge lizard.

I took a protective stance in front of Zen**iba and set to work.**

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**Sorry it was so short and it took me so long to update, but I have discovered a little site called fiction press. I have a really good story on there, "Daughters and Suns" that I just started. SO , now I can be on this site more now that I started that one. read them!!!**


	12. Explaining Part 2 & Author's Apology

**I'm sorry!!**

**Please don't be mad at meh!!**

**I tried to update sooner, but the site wouldn't let me log in.**

**This is the first I've tried since then!**

**I'm sorry!!!**

**Please take my poll!!!

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**

Chihiro's POV

"Wait, Kamajii is my... GRANDFATHER?!" I yelled as we walked through the land. Rin said we were "going home."

"Yes sweetheart. It all happened so long ago... in fact, I was about as old as you were when you first found this place..."

_Flashback_

_"Dad, we're going to be late for my contest!" Kawa whined in the backseat of the car. _

_"Kawa, we still have an hour, relax honey!" her mother sighed and shook her head. She knew her daughter was excited, but she was making her nervous now!_

_"But Mommy, I have to be there early!!" She groaned and toyed with the button on her skirt._

_"Oh, please just shut up!" Kawa's little sister thought in her head, brushing the hair of her doll.  
_

_"Sweetie, we're almost there I think."_

_Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and the car sputtered to a stop._

_"Oh great! Now we're never going to make it! Just my luck!" Kawa sulked in the backseat._

_"Hey, maybe if we walk down this driveway, maybe we can find someone to help us." Her father smiled, took his wife by the hand and they walked down the dirt road, twisting like a dragon into the woods. The two girls got out of the car and followed their parents. _

_End of Flashback_

Soon, we approached a small cottage. It looked like a palace compared to all of the destruction and wreckage surrounding it. It was small and dingy, but it looked...

'Quaint' I thought with a small smile.

Rin stepped forward and opened the door slowly.

"Father, I'm back!"

"Rin. What have you brought back this time?" the voice was so familiar, it made Chihiro's heart jump a little.

"Someone that's been lost for a long time, and a familiar face."

"Huh, did you find a worker that escape Yubaba?!"

Rin closed the door behind us. We were in the kitchen of the house. I realized that it was Zeniba's house. We had walked all the way to Swamp Bottom.

Kamajii shuffled into the room. He looked years older. He looked puzzled at first, then he noticed me.

"Sen... you're alright after all!" He gasped. I walked over to him and smiled.

"I'm so happy to see you.... Grandpa."

"Wha...?" He looked at Rin with something close to fury, but she shook her head and pointed to my mother.

"No..." his voice was hardly a whisper. I saw my mother frozen with shock, but a small smile was spreading across her face.

"Kawa? Is that really you?"

"Yes, Daddy!!" She burst out in tears and hugged Kamajii. I smiled and looked at Rin. A lone tear snaked it's way down her cheek, but this time, she was laughing too.

_"Mom, we've been walking forever, let's just turn back!" Kawa complained. Rin nodded, holding her doll tighter._

_"Hold on, we're almost there!" Kamajii smiled as a tunnel came into view. _

_"Where are we?" Rin gasped, moving closer to her bigger sister._

_"I don't know, but let's check it out!" their mother nodded and followed Kamajii into the tunnel. The girls looked at eachother and followed suit._

_'I got a bad feeling about this...' Both girls thought._

_

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_**Again, I'm sorry!**

**The next chapter will be a flashback of what happened to Kawa and Rin. Maybe I'll throw a little Haku in too. **

**Review!!!  
**


	13. Kawa meets Yubaba

_**I love this story!!**_

_**Do you?**_

_**Please review!**_

_**I love them!!**_

_**Disclaimer: still own nothing...*sighs*

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**_

The family was starving. They hadn't eaten anything. After the contest, the family planned on going out to eat. The smells lured them in, just like another family.

"Mother, let's just go! I can't eat anything anyways, I'm too nervous!" Kawa whined, trying to drag her parents and sister away from the food. She screamed as a flash of blue light overcame her family's forms. She turned away and screamed again. Once the light died down, she saw that everyone had been turned into pigs. She screamed again and ran. She ran for a long time, just trying to get away from her fear. She noticed as she passed the many shops, people with masks were walking around.

"Little one, did you forget your mask for the ball?" a voice asked. She gasped and looked up. A young woman looked down at her with a green mask in her hands.

"N-no, I'm not invited to-"

"Come on, you can come with me." the woman smiled and dragged her in the direction of a large structure. It looked a little like a small castle.

"No, my parents have been turned into pigs, I have to help them!"

"Oh no, your parents got transformed? Are you... human?" the woman jerked her hand back, as if Kawa might burn her.

"Yes. My name is Kawa."

"My name is Yubaba. I'm sorry to tell you that your parents are doomed."

"What?" Kawa burst into fresh tears and fell to her knees as Yubaba watched emotionlessly.

_'Stupid human girl. She actually thinks that she can save her parents.'_ She thought with a slight sneer.

"Come on, get up!! Let's go!" she snapped at the young girl, dragging her up and towards the bathhouse again.

"Where are we going?"

"To see the others with transformed parents."

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_**I'm so sorry it's so short, but i have to go now**_

_**Review please!!**_

_**More will be up soon, i promise!!**_

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	14. Kawa's LONG story

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_**last month, this story had 842 hits and 215 visitors??!!!**_

_**HOLY COW!!!**_

_**Check my poll and take it. Soon, I'm closing it

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**_9 year Kawa was dragged through the bathhouse grounds by Yubaba, trying to stop her tears. The woman seemed sorta nice, but a little angry and mean at times...

"Hey, keep moving!" Yubaba viciously tugged on the young girl's arm. _'God, how completely stupid is she?'_

"How many others are there?"

"6."

"What age are they?"

"The oldest is 21, the youngest is 4."

"Are they all girls?"

"No, there's 2 boys."

"How-"

"CAN YOU PLEASE JUST STOP!!" Yubaba yelled. They were in front of a small shack that wasn't that far away from the bathhouse. Kawa recoiled as if she had been slapped. Yubaba sneered and knocked on the door 5 times. It was opened by a woman that looked almost exactly like Yubaba.

"Zeniba, where are the others?"

"Upstairs. Is this another one?"

Yubaba was gone.

"Sweetie, I bet you're hungry, right?" Zeniba kindly squatted down to the girl's height, noticing that she was starting to look a little transparent.

"No no no no!! I'm not eating nothing!!" she burst out in tears. Zeniba chuckled and walked over to the pantry.

"Well, do you think one carrot will hurt you?"

Kawa wiped her eyes and thoughtfully replied, "I don't know.... but I like carrots."

"And, they're good for you, so it can't turn you into a pig, can it?"

She handed the young child a small carrot and watched her cautiously bite it in half. Her figure became solid again and finished the carrot.

"You feel better?"

"Yes ma'am." she smiled shyly.

"What's your name honey?"

"It's Kawa. I'm nine years old, and today I have a singing contest."

"I'm sure you're going to do great." Zeniba couldn't break it to her...

"Well Kawa, do you think you can wait until dinnertime for more food?"

Kawa nodded and shuffled her feet. Zeniba turned her back to the girl with a smile on her face. She picked up the knife again and continued cutting the vegetables.

"Why don't you go up and meet the others? Tell them that dinner's almost ready, okay?" Zeniba questioned, throwing chopped carrots, potatoes, and onions in a large pot.

Kawa smiled and went up the stone stairs in the other half of the kitchen.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Hello, is anyone up here?" Kawa called quietly, shivering. Suddenly, a door flew open. She yelped and pressed herself against the wall. A boy a little bit older than her was standing in the doorway. He had dark black, almost green looking hair that stopped at his chin. His eyes were the most beautiful shade of green, and they twinkled as he looked at her.

"Who are you?" he kindly asked.

"Umm, my name is Kawa. Yubaba brought me here."

He walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Were your parents turned into pigs too?"

Her lip quivered and a tear scaled down her cheek. She nodded slowly.

"Well, my name is Haku. I help Zeniba take care of the others. Do you want to meet them?"

* * *

HAKU'S POV

The girl was so scared, she trembled with every step she took. I had no idea how the others would get along with her. As we went up to the attic where the others stayed, she told me everything. Her parents and sister had been transformed, she was only 9, and how Yubaba had found her. Of course, all that self-centered, annoying, egotistical witch could think about was the ball. She even refused to help her sister care for these children! Soon, we reached the door to the attic. I could hear them all laughing and joking around.

"Guys," I said as I opened the door, "we have a new member of the family." Kawa was trying to hide behind my legs. "This is Kawa."

Daijiro, eldest boy came up to us. "Hi, I'm Daijiro. I'm 14."

Hideaki, the youngest boy, followed closely behind. "I'm Hideaki."

"He's 9 too. He's only been here a few months. He was the newest until you came." I said to her. She was staring at Hideaki with great interest. I smiled.

Cho came forward, holding little Kiyo. "This is Kiyo, my daughter. She's 4. I'm Cho, I'm 21. I help Zeniba around here too, just like Haku." She patted the little girl's head.

"If you're 21, why are you still here?" she asked.

"My husband is off fighting in the war." Cho smiled sadly and my heart stopped for a second. Her husband was one of my best friends.

Haru and Yasu, the twins, came up laughing. They dragged the girl off to their few dolls. I smiled again.

"Well, she seems better than poor Hideaki was at first huh?" a familiar, melodic voice next to me laughed. I looked to see Cho sitting on Daijiro's bed. I grinned and nodded. I looked down to see Kiyo sitting on the bed, chewing on a block with a large 8 carved into the side. I sat down gently on the girl's lap, making sure that my weight wasn't pressing on her. She squealed with laughter and twisted under me. Cho laughed as she wriggled out and threw the block at me. I dodged it and joined in everyone's laughter. I noticed that even the new girl was laughing._ 'She's gonna fit in great.'_ I realized.

* * *

"Dinner time guys!" Zeniba called up the stairs. I watched as Haku and that one boy... Daijiro raced to the door. Haku picked up Daijiro and plopped him on the bed, running out of the room laughing. I watched the brown haired twins grab each other's hands and skip out, chanting a song.

_Kagome Kagome, Kago no naka no Tori wa_

_Itsu Itsu deyaru? Yoake no ban ni_

_Tsuru to kame ga subetta._

_Ushiro no shoumen daare ?_

**(AN: go to wikipedia and look up Kagome Kagome. i got the inspiration from somewhere else though... ;-D)**

I gasped. My mother had sung me that song as a child she had told me. I thought nobody else really knew it, it wasn't very popular... The song was sung a lot in the past however...

"Kawa?" I realized that Cho and Kiyo were standing in the doorway, looking at me in concern. I smiled and walked with them downstairs.

* * *

"Wow Zeniba, that was great!" Haku grinned over at her and stabbed his last bite of potato with his fork.

"Thanks for being so surprised Haku." she said into her glass. Haru, Yasu and I giggled. I watched as Kiyo discovered that carrots could be mashed and mixed with potatoes. Cho sighed and ate another bite of the meat from the stew. Haku was fooling around with Daijiro, and Zeniba was trying to help Cho prevent Kiyo from putting the potato-carrot paste on her face and arms. I sighed and looked to my right. That one boy, the really shy one, was staring at his plate with a red face.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm ok." He was so quiet I could hardly hear him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just... you look really pretty in that dress..." he mumbled into his stew. I felt my cheeks turn pink and I turned away.

"Thank you Hideaki." I whispered.

"Alright, what are we going to do then?" Zeniba's voice brought me back to earth.

"She can sleep with us!" the twins cheered simultaneously. Everyone laughed.

"She can have my bed, I'll sleep downstairs until we get her a bed." Haku said after a moment of thoughtful thinking. I realized they were talking about me.

"Oh no, I don't want to be a burden to anyone."

"Nonsense, Haku can build a bed in a day or two." Cho stated and scraped beef out of Kiyo's hair. "How did you get it in your hair honey?"

"Yeah, it's only for a few nights." Haku assured me.

"But I don't know how long I'm gonna be here, I just want to fix my family..."

"Kawa, we haven't been able to fix anyone's parents yet." Daijiro stated as if it was common knowledge. "So far, it's impossible."

"No, it's not!!" I cried out and ran out. I could hear someone following me. I ran past a field into the nearby woods. Trees larger than skyscrapers watched me run past in amusement. The creek chuckled at my misfortune, and the stars told secrets of my sadness. I ran until it felt like someone was thrusting a rusty straight-blade in between my ribs. I slowed down, but fell as the ground moved out from underneath me.

* * *

I watched her leave in frustration, anger and sadness. I knew that she wasn't going to give up until everything was back to normal.

"Haku." Zeniba, Cho and, surprisingly, Hideaki, said at the same time.

"Got her!" I got up and ran out the door. Man, she was pretty fast for a 9 year-old-girl! She ran past the Ikeda's field and into the woods. I followed her from a small distance. I'd be able to save her if something happened, but this way, she wouldn't hear me behind her. I watched her gradually slow down, but she didn't stop. Suddenly, she was gone. I froze, trying to figure out where she was. I heard a scream and looked down: she was falling down the ravine. I quickly transformed and rocketed down the steep slope, hoping I'd reach her in time.

* * *

I realized I was falling. I watched in horror as scenes of my life flashed before my eyes. The first time I held Rin, when my parents took me to the fair and I won a stuffed fox demon toy, my first day of 4th grade; all flashed behind my eyes as I watched the earth and sky do gymnastics around me.

_'Am I dying?'_ I thought as the first wave of pain hit me like a bolt of lightning. My dress was torn by branches and roots now trying to slow me down. I let out what I thought was my final scream and watched the ground roll closer to me. Just as I was about to hit it, something long, white, smooth, and firm caught me. Everything went black and I passed out as the thing carried me up.

* * *

I caught her just before she hit the ground. She almost died because of my carelessness. All of these thoughts passed through my mind as I carried her slowly on my back to the house. I stopped when I felt her coming to.

_'Are you alright?'_ I thought to her, hoping she'd figure out who I was. She jerked upright as the mental contact hit her.

"Who-who are you?" she groaned quietly as she felt her legs and knees. They were pretty torn up...I ignored her comment as we reached the house. I transformed back and carried her into the house. A horrible smell hit me like a train. I prayed little Kawa couldn't smell it...What we saw could only be described as... inhumane.

* * *

Haku all of a sudden appeared carrying me. I guessed that the dragon was him. He carried me into the house. I was exhausted and sore. We stepped into the house. I screamed.

The small kitchen was in ruins. The chairs were tipped over and broken beyond belief. The table was in _shreds_, and the glasses and plates had shattered. The room was a lot darker than it should've been... Haku put me down and walked over to the counter, probably for a candle. Down lower, the smell was a lot worse. It was overwhelming and sickening. He opened the top right cupboard and dug around until he pulled out a short white candle. A flame appeared on his fingertip and he lit the candle and put it in a lantern. Once our eyes adjusted, I screamed again.

The room wasn't dark, it was _covered_ in blood. Everything, even the stairs on the other half of the room, were soaked. I realized that I was standing in a puddle. I shrieked and hopped to a piece of a chair in the middle of the wreckage.

"What... we were only gone for a few minutes... who would've done this?" Haku was in utter disbelief. I realized that I was crying as I looked at the back of the room. Haru and Yasu's doll pinned to the wall with something white.

"Haku..." I half whispered, half choked out. He glanced over at me in alert and followed my gaze. His face turned pale.

"That's... a bone..." I could hardly hear him over the sound of my vomit hitting the floor. He put his hand on my back and picked me up again. I buried my head in his shoulder so I wouldn't have to see anymore.

"Wait... where's Zeniba and Hideaki?" he muttered to himself. I froze, realizing that he had found whatever was left of Cho, Daijiro, Haru, Yasu, and Kiyo. Kiyo, little Kiyo! Why did she have to die? She was an innocent child!!! I was shaking with anger by the time we reached the attic door. Haku flung it open and gasped. I debated with myself for a moment and looked.

* * *

I could identify the bodies of Kiyo, Cho, Daijiro, and the twins, but I couldn't find Zeniba and Hideaki. I was so angry. I then realized that if Kawa had never left, I would've died too. She had saved my life. If only the others could've been saved too... Whoever had done this was going to PAY!! I decided to quickly check the attic. We opened the door, and, sure enough, sitting on his bed sobbing his eyes out, was Hideaki.

"You're alright!!" Kawa cried out and hugged him. He held her close. I searched around for Zeniba. I found her sitting on the window sill.

"What happened?" I demanded. She took my hand and dragged me away from the kids.

"Alright, I'll tell you later, but first, you have to get Kawa and Hideaki out of here!!" she was crying. I knew that she had probably watched or heard the others dying screams.

"It's not safe anymore, take them back to Kawa'a time, Hideaki will remember enough soon. They can grow up together there and be safe!"

"What happened?" I demanded again. She shook her head.

"Another time Haku, Kawa cannot save her parents now, we'll have to do that some other time, but now, they have to get out of here!!" She dragged me to the kids again. I looked out the window for a moment and saw a red-orange glow on the horizon. Zeniba saw it too and gasped.

"Oh no, they're coming back!! Haku, get them out of here, now!!! Hurry!!" I transformed and quickly thought to her, _'Will you be alright here by yourself?'_

"Yes Haku, I'll stay in the woods or something, just go!!" She threw the kids on my back and I took off.

* * *

I wrapped my arms around Hideaki's waist as Haku took off. I could tell that something was horribly wrong.

"Haku, where are we going?" I called up front. Haku shook his head, nearly sending Hideaki to the water below.

_'I'm taking you home, and Hideaki's going with you.' _I could immediately tell that he wasn't telling me the whole truth.

"What about our parents and my sister?!" Hideaki looked at me fearfully. I just copied Haku and shook my head impatiently as we approached the tunnel.

_'I'm sorry, but for now, they're going to be stuck here. Just as you walk through the tunnel, keep your eyes forward, and don't stop running until you're out of there, got it?'_ His voice was laced with concern, and I knew that he was going to force us home. I looked him in the eye and nodded. His eye twinkled, I think he might've been smiling. He dropped us in front of the tunnel, gave us one long, final look, and flew away. Hideaki had tears running down his cheeks. I told him everything that Haku had told me. He wiped his tears away once I was finished and said, "Well then, I'm going to look after you from now on." He took my hand and we ran through the tunnel.

* * *

Chihiro's POV, end of really long flashback.

"Oh my God!!" I gasped in horror. My mother and Rin, sorry, my aunt, were in tears. Kamajii was at the fire, stirring something in a pot, but I could feel his sadness.

"Yeah. We met Haku about maybe... I don't know... 7 or 8 years ago?" Rin asked the older man. He nodded, his back still to the group. "We got jobs at the bath house, and once we remembered our real names, we remembered everything."

"Only Haku hasn't remembered fully what happened. All he knows is that your mother saved his life, which, in a way, she did." My mom sniffled and looked at me.

"Hideaki... Dad?" I gasped. My mom nodded.

"He had his name changed, and when he did, he forgot everything."

Everything was starting to make sense now... I just hoped that Haku was alright...

* * *

Haku's POV present time

My ex co-worker lay dead at my feet. I cringed as the blood brought back a memory, but it failed. I looked at Zeniba's scared, tear-stained face, and suddenly, I remembered everything. I screamed as a massive headache accompanied the massive heartache and grief that followed the memory.

"Kiyo...Cho...Daijiro...Haru...Yasu..." I moaned and fell to my knees, crying. Zeniba gasped and ran to my side.

* * *

Totally unseen to Zeniba and Haku was the person who had killed them and caused everyone such grief. The person cackled and left, relishing in the everyone's heartbreak and angst.

* * *

_**WOW.....**_

_**THAT WAS LONG!!!**_

_**the actual story was... 3,467 words!!! **_

_**Thanks for reading it!!**_

_**take my poll, sorry for the twists and long chapter, and more will be up soon!**_

_***huggs*  
**_


	15. Reunion?

_** OMG!!!**_

_**I'M SO SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN SO LONG!!!!!!!!!**_

_** i was in a competition, i had state tests, i had really bad writers block, a huge Holocaust project, a bridge building project, State tests, my computer starting acting weird & wouldn't let meh on here, track started (finally) & State tests again. WHEW!!!**_

_**Oh... and... I GOT CONTACTS!!!! 8-)  
**_

_**Poll's closed, and the winner is....**_

_***drum roll***_

_**...going to be announced at the end of the chapter!!!

* * *

**_

"Wait, let me see if I've got this right," I started, trying to piece everything together. As I recapped, No-Face came from upstairs. My mother and...grandfather... confirmed that I had it right as No-Face hugged me kindly.

"Wait, does Haku remember?" I gasped, knowing how much it would hurt him.

"I don't know." My grandfather spoke, his voice seemed different, then I realized that he hadn't spoken since we had come here, and the sun had set long ago. I looked out the window, my heart breaking. I tried to realize the huge burden Haku now had to remember. My mother was silently crying, her sister's arms around her. I gazed in wonder at the 4 people in the room with me, and I knew what I had to do.

* * *

Haku's POV

Zeniba put her hand on my shoulder as I silently remembered all of the horrifying memories and listened to her talk about it again. A final tear ran it's way down my cheek as I stood up. I brushed it away impatiently and strode to the mouth of the cave.

"Haku, what are you doing?" Zeniba asked concernedly. I shook my head and turned to look at her.

"Chihiro isn't safe in the spirit world. You told me that Kawa and Hideaki were followed most of their lives in the human world after the incident, so there's no way that Chihiro is safe in the spirit world. She's probably safer here."

"I'll distract my sister, you go and get her. Just be careful." Zeniba ran out and into the night. I waited a moment or two, then transformed, flying to the woods.

* * *

Chihiro's POV

"Mom, Rin, Kamajii.... guys... I have to go find Haku." I started, watching their faces carefully. I knew that they probably wouldn't let me leave. "He's gonna be so upset, and I have a feeling that he's in danger. I have to go help him."

My mother smiled. "Chihiro... you really are in love with him." I blushed as Kamajii went over to a small cupboard above a sink.

"Here Chihiro, use this to get back home." He held onto something small and salmon pink. I realized that it was the outfit I had worn as a worker at the bath house. "You need to wear it to get across."

"Thank you grandpa." I smiled and hugged him. He chuckled and hugged me close. My mother came over and kissed my cheek, and Rin gave me a gentle noogie. I waved goodbye to No-Face, who was kneading bread.

"Honey, please be careful!" my mother yelled as I ran out of the hut, into the night. I remembered something and ran back.

"Mom, can I have that hairtie I asked you to hold onto?" My mother looked puzzled but handed over the glittery hairtie. No-Face moaned at the sight of it and came over. I handed it to him, and he tied my hair up with it. I smiled at him and turned to leave. Suddenly, a thought hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Wait, Kamajii... what ever happened to your wife?"

His face darkened. "Chihiro... my wife... was Yubaba."

***********************************************************************

I ran through the woods, trying to get over the shock. Kamajii is my grandfather, Yubaba is my grandmother, Zeniba is my great aunt, and Rin is my aunt!! What's next, I'm Haku's sister?? I groaned and slowed to a stop, my heart pounding in my chest. I leaned up against the nearest tree, listening carefully. I heard the sound again. Something white fell from the sky and landed nearby me. I screamed and rolled out of the way, ready to run if necessary. I looked, and gasped. It was Haku.

"Haku!" I yelled and ran over to him. He wrapped his strong, warm, safe arms around me.

"Chihiro, are you alright?" He asked, burying his head into my shoulder. I nesteld my head into his chest and nodded. I looked up at him and screamed.

* * *

_**I'm so evil, wat with the long wait AND the cliffhanger!!**_

_**Ok, the poll winner was that the sotry will...**_

_**Be a long story with a lot of plots, not a series.**_

_**YAY!!!**_

_***huggs*  
**_


	16. CHIHIRO, NO!

**anybody guess the cliffhanger out?? No??**

**Well, here it is! I'd love a bunch of reviews... it'd make me really happy!!! Even the bad, angry reviews I'm gonna get for this one.....  
**

**

* * *

**I pushed out of his arms and dove away."Haku" jumped a foot or two back, surprised. I pressed up against a tree, breathing heavily.

"You're.... you're not Haku." I gasped in horror. The fake Haku laughed and came over to me. He put his hand on my cheek and caressed it gently.

"Sen, what's wrong?" He smiled tenderly, but he screwed up big time with that. Nobody calls me Sen, nobody but Yubaba. It had to be her.

"I know you're not Haku." I almost growled, jerking my face away from him. He scowled.

"Sen, it's me, Haku!" He grabbed my arm roughly. I yelped as a wave of pain shot through my body. He twisted my arm behind my back and turned me aggressively, pressing my face against the rough bark. I moaned in pain and tried to break away.

"Now Sen, you'll come quietly, alive, or you'll come quietly, dead." Yubaba's voice whispered in my ear. I could feel Haku's body pressed up against mine before, but now, I could tell that it was Yubaba. I was slowly being crushed. My arm was jerked harder and I screamed as loud as I could. A slow stream of blood was trickling down my forehead. I winced as she cackled loudly. Yubaba pulled me away from the tree, but she lost her grip on me, either accidental or on purpose. I went flying. I screamed in agony as I hit a tree, hearing a crack. My head was spinning as I felt a numbness spreading slowly through my arm.

"I'm not coming with you." I said, spatting out a mouthful of blood."Haku will stop you." I closed my eyes briefly as my head started pounding harder. Everything was getting blurrier and blurrier.

"Haku doesn't care about you, foolish girl. If he did, wouldn't he be here already?" I shook my head. "No, that's not true." I said, more to myself than to her. I closed my eyes again and tried to move my arm. It was broken, and so were quite a few of my ribs.

I opened my eyes, only to realize that Yubaba was gone. I sat up and hissed as the pain from my broken ribs forced me back down. I looked around,and slowly sighed in relief, and moaned as the large sigh hurt my ribs. Dark blood was seeping through my clothes, and from my head. Everything I did, even breathing, made me dizzy. Movement above me made me jump. Blood spurted lightly from my chest to the cold forest floor, like juice from a lemon.

"Haku, is that you?" I opened my eyes to see a huge metal sword come whistling through the air. It pierced my chest, sending more blood flying. The pain was unbearable, but it slowly started to fade. My vision, which was all red before, was now fading to black. Another sharp pain raced through me as the sword was twisted inside me. The red flickered back to my vision, but then ran away, afraid of the dark. I knew I was dying. '_Haku... I'm sorry...'_

"No, I'm not Haku."

* * *

Haku ran through the woods of the Spirit World, searching for Kamajii and Rin's hut. He used to know where it was, but he blocked it out after the... massacre. He felt so guilty afterwords, like it was his fault. Not matter that Zeniba told him it wasn't his fault, he still felt like it was. He didn't have to live through too much guilt however, because soon after, he was taken as Yubaba's apprentice. She erased his memory of all of his former life. There were 3 parts to his life, 1 part before the Spirit World, which was forgotten, 1 before he started working for Yubaba, and this part now, after Chihiro broke Yubaba's hold on him. He knew that if he lost Chihiro, that he'd never live through the guilt, sorrow, and agony. He decided that if something happened to her, he would join her, wherever she went.

"You're too late." a sing-song voice above him laughed sinisterly. He skidded to a stop and saw Yubaba on a tree branch, brandishing a sword covered in dried blood. He yelled up to her, "Where is Chihiro?!"

"Pity... you have no idea..." She thrust the sword at him and vanished. He used his magic to stop it from hurting him, but as soon as it hit the ground, it turned into those green heads she had before. They looked at him and pointed their eyes towards east, where the sun was rising. He slowly followed them as they bounced through the growing shadows.

"No...no Chihiro..." he choked out, falling to his knees beside the girl's broken body. He sobbed broken, choking sobs. Hot angry tears jumped out his eyes and danced on her cheeks. He grasped her hand, feeling how cold it was. He brought it up to his face and kissed it gently. His heart was shredded violently as he gazed through his tears to her face, covered in blood. Her expression was one full of pain and sadness. She had died by Yubaba's hand, and she had died alone, probably waiting for him to save her. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and gently kissed her one final time. He then stood up and transformed. He took one last look at the woman that had saved his life. She had changed him as a boy and she had changed him again as a man. He couldn't believe the person she had become, the amazing things she could've done... if only he had run faster. He swallowed the lump in his throat and took off flying.

* * *

"I wonder if they're alright." Kawa sighed, sipping her tea. Kamajii put his hand on her shoulder. They had just finished catching up, and the sun was now rising. Rin was asleep, her head on the table. Kawa played with the hair of her younger sister absently.

"I'm sure they're fin-" The door burst open with a bang. There stood a very angry looking Haku.

"Haku, you're alright!" Kamajii gasped. Rin awoke with a jump. She saw the fierce rage on Haku's face and recoiled.

"Why did you let her go?" He whispered. His voice was quiet, but he was so angry and upset, it would've been better if he was screaming.

"Chihiro? Where is she?" Kawa was getting nervous now. Her only daughter was out there, and Haku was in here... He turned his back to them, standing in the doorway. Kawa's stomach sank into an icy chasm.

"Follow me." He said over his shoulder to the confused group. They looked at each other and followed him into the woods. Only No-Face remained.

**(AN: I was gonna end it here, but I had some ideas... and I don't wanna be mean!!!)**

"Haku, where are you taking us?" Rin asked softly. He gave her a harsh glance and she whimpered and stood next to her father. When he saw her scared face, he softened.

"I'm sorry. It's just..." His voice faded off and he made a noise that sounded like a cross between a sob and a cough. Kamajii said loudly, "Haku, just tell us what it it that you're-" He stopped when he saw it.

"NO!!!" Kawa screamed and fell to her knees, sobbing hysterically. Rin fainted and Kamajii advanced on Haku.

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT, WHY DIDN'T YOU PROTECT HER??!!" He screamed, grabbing the front of his shirt and shaking him. Haku just stood there silently.

"It's all my fault, I know. I couldn't get here in time. I..." he trailed off as watched Rin go over to Chihiro.

"C'mon kid, get up, stop fooling around with us. Yeah, haha, so funny, now get up!" She started sobbing and pounding on Chihiro's chest. Haku walked over to her and gently pulled her away. She turned and sobbed into his shoulder. He looked at Kawa, who was crying on her father's lap, like a little child. The two men nodded, knowing that they had to get the women out of there.

"Well well well, this will save me the trouble of hunting all of you down." A voice overhead laughed. Rin ran over to her sister as Haku and Kamajii both attacked Yubaba. She dove to the left, and both men went flying through the air. Kamajii landed wiftly landed on the ground and charged her again, while Haku landed in a treetop and started to build up his energy.

"This is it, isn't it?" Rin asked her older sister shakily. Kawa nodded and looked over heartbroken at what was left of her daughter.

* * *

_**Ok, don't kill me!!! I promise you, it's gonna be fine, you'll understand why I had to do that. I promise you, i'll update soon again, so I won't put you through too much more torture!!! REVIEW PLEASE**_.


	17. The Battle

**Ok, some people got mad at me for the cliffhanger.... I want to personally thank each reviewer right now!

* * *

**

**Miss. Bra: You haven't reviewed lately, and I wondir if you're still reading this... hope to hear from you soon. One of the first to reviews, thanks!  
**

**little princess of mercury: nice reviews!! I haven't heard from you lately either... hmmm... lol**

**amineluva12: hahaha, you had such funny reviews... i really appreciated them. One of the first people to add me to their alert list, thanks a bunch! **

**whaleessssx3: I still love your username!!! i got that wonderful PM from you, thanks. Im on your subscription! hehehe  
**

**Lerryn: Thanks for the wonderful words of encouragement! Your reviews were so nice and helpful, and funny. I can't wait for you to get this on your alert,**

**Yourstalker101: OMG I HAVE ANOTHER STALKER??!! lol, just kidding. *blushes* you were kidding about the movie thing... right? and now you know when i update... stalker!!  
**

**This cant be good: ... not too much to say... not much was written... but i still appreciate the review! **

**animehearter: yes, i really hate kikyo, and i checked out Kyoukai no Rinne... I LOVE IT!!!! chapter 6 is out, check it out!!! thanks for the comments. Most people think my ideas are weird... but then again, who wants to be normal?**

**Blackoutpanther: i'm on your alert?? yay!!! good tip. I tried it on my fictionpress... people FLIPPED OUT!!! lol... it got my reviews though... so, ehh, not too shabby, and it's not like im lying or anything...**

**Misao2008: you've probably reviewed the most, thank you!! you're reviews are sooooooooooooooooooo nice!!!! i love getting them. I hope you got over that writer's block you had a while ago. Thank you so much again!!! Alert rox!! **

**Ao Kudo: lol, sudden twists are good, but probably not the one I left you guys with... Thanks again for the alert and sweet reviews. **

**XxCrazyxGirlxX: thanks for your comment!**

**xXgoldenswordXx: i checked out your profile. I love inu/Kag. I hate inu/kikyo, and the dislikes for Inuyasha, i'm with ya. I loved your reviews... so thoughtful!!! **

**Houth ye have Fatih: hmmm.. only one review.. it was nice, thank you!**

**xoxoxJelleyxBelleyxoxox: awww... i loved your review!!! i just hope you see this; thank you!!! awesome review.. it helped me through a really tough case of writer's block!**

**MarinaMartin: thanks :D, i personally can write Haku good, it's Rin i just can't get!!!! lol, you help me, I help you, ok? lol. When you get this alert, ill hopefully be reading one of your stories.**

**virginger: thanks for the review!!! a few more would've been nice... but, at least you took the time to read it!!! **

**Miyuka Kokoru: lol, I'm glad you caught that, I thin you're the only one how said anything about that. I think that you're gonna like these next few chapters coming up! **

**silver starlight serpant: little review, but a review none the less.**

**Gothic Tomboy, kkino, lilplayahater08, oreocookies13: you guys only added me to your alerts, never reviewed. But still, thanks.**

**Alright, whew, I think that's everyone!! Thanks again to you guys, and to those who haven't added me to subscription or who haven't reviewed. If you had done either, I'd said something, but watever :D. Lol, ok, here's the story now!**

* * *

Haku and Kamajii were exhausted. They had been fighting on the offensive, both full of rage and fury. Yubaba was only a little hurt, and still had a lot of energy left. Kamajii had a large gash on his head and on 3 of his legs. Haku had a large, long gash up his left arm. He couldn't move it, and now, he couldn't use magic.

"Kawa, what are we gonna do?" Rin asked. Kawa looked down at her little sister. She looked like a child again. Her voice was soft and careful, she was still crying, she looked so scared...

"We're gonna fight." Kawa replied after a moment and stood up. She watched Yubaba dodge an attack from Kamajii and slash the sword at him. Once her back was turned, she ran at the woman who attacked her daughter and kicked her in the back, hard. Yubaba fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

"Guys, now!" She yelled. Haku sent a beam of energy at Yubaba, Kamajii roundhouse kicked her, and Rin picked up a heavy branch and whacked her across the back with it. She let out a scream and lay still.

The group waited for a moment. "Is it over?" Rin asked timidly. Haku slowly walked over to the sorceress and felt her wrist for a pulse.

"I think she's dead." He said incredulously. He looked at the others and yelled, "She's dead!" Everyone yelled and screamed in happiness. Rin and Kawa held each other, crying. Kawa ruffled Haku's hair and Rin punched his good arm playfully.

"You did it kid!"

Nobody noticed the person nearby.

"Who's dead?" a voice asked.

* * *

**Alright, so you probably hate me for stopping here... but i needed to-**

**Yeah, I'm just messing with you! Read on!!**

**:D**

**

* * *

**Haku felt what was left of his shattered, ripped, broken heart stop. His icy stomach melted at the words. The voice was like music; or windchimes. It sent a shiver throughout his body and paralyzed his nerves. His heart, which he thought was broken beyond repair, started beating faster and faster, until it was beating as fast as the train. Everything slowed; the clouds floating lazily past the midday sun, the birds overhead, his companions breaths, even the mosquito near his face. For some reason, he felt afraid to turn around. He was afraid that his hopes would be crushed; that he was dreaming. His throat grew dry and a lump formed, trying to constrict his voice. He managed to utter one word while he gathered the courage to turn around.

"Please..."

As the word escaped his lips, he heard the person take in a sharp breath of air, as if they were gasping. He didn't even hear the two thuds nearby. The person might've missed him; he was standing behind a tree. Haku's legs gave out and he fell weakly to the ground. Everything was numb, his arm, his heart, everything. His gut lurched violently as he turned his head. He noticed Kawa and Rin had fainted. Kamajii was leaning up against another tree, unconscious. He had passed out soon after the battle. He turned so he could see around the tree.

Standing nearby was Chihiro.

"Haku..." she said softly. He wanted to run to her, to hold her, to kiss her and tell her he'd never leave her again, but he couldn't. He knew it was too good to be true.

"I'm dead." He said quietly. Chihiro, who had been in the process of walking toward him, froze in place. He shook his head.

"I can't be alive... if you're here, then I'm dead...you died..." he choked out. Selena had tears running down her cheeks and walked up to Haku. He was still sitting on the ground, his good shoulder against the tree. She bent down to his level as a light rain started to fall. She looked at his arm in hurt and took his hand.

"Haku, I'm alive, believe me." She whispered. He just shook his head again. She gently placed her hand on his cut arm. It was sliced open to the bone. She could see a little white beneath all the red. He hissed in pain for a moment, then looked at her in wonder. She took her hand away after a moment and looked at his arm in awe. His skin was glowing yellow, and the wound was gone. After a moment, the color faded to his normal skin color. She looked at him, who was still staring at her in wonder.

"After all I've done... I went to Heaven with you...I-"

"Haku, stop! You're alive!" Chihiro cried out in anger.

"How can I be, you died!" his voice cracked on died. She cried out in frustration and grabbed his shoulders.

"Haku!" She leaned in and kissed him, tenderly, but hard, so he would get the point. After a moment or two, she softened her hold on him.

"You're alive, and so am I, and so is everyone else." She said quietly into his shoulder after she had pulled away. He was holding her tight. He never wanted to let her go. He kept one hand on her head, playing with her hair, and the other on the small of her back.

"It's my fault you died... if only I gotten there faster..." His got quieter and quieter on the last part until his voce was inaudible. He clutched her tighter to him.

"No. I should've listened to you and stayed put."

"No, I should've stayed with you."

"Haku, I came to find you after Kamajii told me about... the others." He stiffened against her and buried his face into her neck.

"I'm so sorry, I really am." Chihiro whispered, rubbing his back.

"You're just like your mother was.... neither of you listened to me." He loved hearing her laugh. It was better than the music of the angels. He pulled away from her and kissed her. His lips were warm and soft against hers. Her skin tingled where his hand rested on her cheek. He started to pull away, but she wordlessly protested and locked her arms around his neck. He smiled against her and held her closer.

"We should wake the others up." He murmured against her neck. He took her hand and walked over to Kamajii, grinning evilly.

"Haku, don't scare-" It was too late. Haku leaned down and yelled "HEY, GET UP!" in her grandfather's ear. He shot up, yelling. Once he saw Haku rolling on the ground laughing, he put two and two together. He groaned and hit Haku in the head. Chihiro stifled a giggle. Rin and Kawa, who came to when Haku yelled, looked over at her.

"Chi...Chihiro? Is that really you?" Kawa whispered, her eyes burning with the fire of hope, desire, and motherly love.

"Mom...Rin...Grandpa... I'm alright!" She laughed as the group embraced her. After a few minutes of questions, tears, and hugs, the group headed back to the cottage. The sun was setting, and washed the group in brilliant red light.

* * *

_**Ok, this IS NOT the end of this fic. **_

_**I'll update soon, THIS IS MY LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL!!!!**_

_**Question: My bf and I are going to the movies this coming weekend. What should we see (don't say UP or Night at the museum) and why? He's making me pick (gr...) so i need some suggestions. Anyone who answers will get a very personal thank you and a surprise... you have to review and answer to knw wat it is!!! **_

_***huggs*  
**_


	18. Life is going back to normal? You wish!

**Ok, this chapter will explain a little of what happened, some new people come in (u know who u are!) and there is a bit of an intervention.

* * *

**"So... let me get this right," Haku said for the millionth time as he, my mother, and I walked through the tunnel towards the Human World, "you weren't dead, Yubaba had stolen you soul?"

"Yeah. I could hear and see everything, but it was all from Yubaba's point of view. I could hear her thoughts, feel whatever emotion she was feeling, everything! I even felt her pain." I was walking between my mom and Haku. We had said goodbye to my grandfather and aunt, promising to return soon. Zeniba showed up as we were leaving, but she was hurt. We left, knowing that the war was over.

"What happened to your wounds?" My mother asked casually, as if we were talking about the weather.

"I'm not sure.. but they're gone." I shrugged.

"That's all that matters." Haku smiled at me and I gently kissed his cheek.

"We need to go back home, Chihiro, you have school tomorrow!" my mother gasped. I groaned and Haku laughed.

"Mom, I almost died tonight. Do I really have to go to school?"

"Well, unless you want to explain to the school why you missed your mid-term, yes."

I groaned again as I remembered my last mid-term today. It was in History, my worst subject. Haku transformed and gave my mother and I a ride back to our house. The sun was rising, and it was so beautiful. The sun's rays cascaded over the hills of snow and made it sparkle. I sighed and wrapped my arms around Haku. He winked one large emerald eye at me and we flew towards our house. Suddenly, a sight brought me out of my reverie.

A light in my parent's bedroom turned on. My father was awake.

* * *

"Honey, Chihiro, where have you been? And who is this?" He gestured at Haku with slight dislike. I gently took Haku's hand. He looked at me and I smiled at him reassuringly. I knew that my father was just confused.

"We have to tell him." He whispered to me. I gulped and looked at my mother. She looked at Haku and nodded. She knew what we had to do.

"How are we gonna do this?" I asked her.

"You go first, tell him what happened to you."

"Yeah, maybe it will trigger something." Haku agreed with my mother as we sat down; Haku and I on the sofa, my father in his recliner, my mother on the arm of his chair. I knew what my father was thinking, and blushed when I realized it.

"Dad, before you say anything, I'm **not** pregnant. Don't worry." He instantly relaxed and sighed, laughing, but kept his eyes locked onto Haku. He glanced at the clock on the shelf above the television. It read about 4:30 in the morning. I stifled a yawn behind my hand, trying to figure out how to say this... once with my mother was hard enough. Haku squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"Dad...remember when we first moved here?"

"5 years ago." He nodded, unsure where this was going.

I looked at Haku, scared. He squeezed my hand again, and I told him the whole story. About how I had fallen into the stream as a child, about how they were transformed, everything. Once I was finished, my father looked at Haku in surprise.

"Haku... that name rings a bell... I just don't know where from..." He scratched his head for a moment. Then, his eyes grew wide. He dropped his coffee mug. The slivers of porcelain bounced into the air and scattered around the carpet. Hot coffee dove onto the floor and hissed. His breathing sped up, his hands were trembling. It looked like he could have a heart attack. I was suddenly afraid for his well-being.

"Haku-"

"Shh, Chihiro, he's alright." My mother whispered, rubbing my father's back. Haku leaned forward, looking years older than he really was. He looked so calm and serious, it was a little startling.

"Hideaki," He placed his hand on my father's arm, " do you remember what happened?" I realized that my father was softly sobbing.

"Dad..." My heart broke as I watched my father crying as he remembered. My mother was rubbing his back and whispering to him, and Haku looked concerned. Finally, my father raised his head and looked at Haku.

"Haku...how did you find me?" His voice was thick with tears, and his eyes were blood shot.

"I didn't find you, Chihiro found me. That's what started it all." My father turned to look at me.

"Chihiro... you know?"

I nodded and cleared my throat. "Dad, I met everyone: Haku, Zeniba, Yubaba, everyone." His face turned hard when I mentioned Yubaba.

"Honey, what's wrong." My mother asked in concern as my father started shaking again. Haku gasped suddenly, got on his knees in front of my father, and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Hideaki, what happened when I went to get Kawa? You have to tell me, now." His voice was somewhat gentle, but firm.

"Alright. We were having dinner..."

* * *

_Daijiro brushed a bit of his thick black hair out of his face, and sharply said, "Kawa, we haven't been able to fix anyone's parents yet. So far, it's impossible." _

_I watched in sadness as Kawa shot up, angrily, yelling in frustration, anger, and desperation. "No it's not!!" We all watched in shock as she ran out, crying. _

_"Haku." Cho, Zeniba and myself said quickly. We knew that she had to get back safely, and quickly. If she was seen, she would be killed on the spot. _

_"Got her!" he called as he ran to the door. We heard it slam shut waited for a moment, all thinking in the silence. _

_"Daijiro! You jerk!" Cho yelled, hitting him on the head._

_"OW! Hey, knock it off!"_

_"She's just a kid, she just lost her parents, and she's confused! Leave it to you to chase her away! You just want her gone so there's more food for you!" Her face was shining with tears. I knew that even though she had only known her for a short time, Cho had really grown to like Kawa. _

_"Yeah Daijiro, that was uncalled for!" Zeniba agreed. The twins stuck out their tongues._

_"I'm just telling her the truth! What do you want me to say, 'Oh, our parents are all fine again, we're just here because we love each other?!'"_

_"Daijiro..." I said quietly. He looked at me, his face red, his chest heaving. I got along great with Daijiro. We were the only boys in the house, besides Haku, and he was always away, doing something secret._

_"Hideaki, you understand, right?" He was almost pleading with me. I was torn. He was my best friend, but he was wrong..._

_"That was a little harsh Daijiro..." I shuffled my feet, innocently gazing at Kiyo, who was laughing, mashed carrot on the tip of her nose. She was trying to lick it off. Suddenly, Cho put her hand over her daughter's mouth. Zeniba held a hand up to silence us all.  
_

_"What's that?" Zeniba muttered. Her and Cho stood up, their faces mirroring pure horror. Suddenly, the wall behind me caught on fire. The twins screamed and ran to the other half of the room, I jumped over the table and ran to the stairs. People could be heard shouting outside._

_"Give up the kids!!" "They don't deserve to live!" "They should go the same way as their parents: EATEN!" "Get rid of the demons!" _

_Haru and Yasu screamed and hid behind Cho. Daijiro lept over a fallen chair and ran to the cupboards. He grabbed a small sword out of one of the empty ones and ran over to the door. Just as he was about to open it, Someone kicked it down and arrows flew into his body. He toppled silently, and my heart broke in half. Zeniba ran over and cast a spell on the men trying to break in. It caused many to pass out, but not all. _

_"GO TO THE ATTIC!" Zeniba screamed to the others, grabbing my hand and dragging me up the stairs. I could hear the others behind me. Everyone was crying, and Zeniba pushed me towards the top of the stairs. _

_"GO!!" She turned and ran back down, pushing the others up. I grabbed Haru and Yasu and carried them into the attic. Cho sat down on a bed with Kiyo and sobbed. I ran over to the door and flung it open. Zeniba was running towards us. She grabbed me and flung me in the closet. She went to do the same to the others, but the men were in the room already. They were pressed up against the closet door, and she couldn't get out. We could hear the twins screaming, and could feel the room getting hotter. I pounded against the door, but Zeniba stopped me. She turned me, holding me against her body, refusing to let me escape. I could hear as they took Kiyo from Cho. I could hear the young girl screaming her lungs raw. Cho was sobbing hysterically, and the twins were screaming. Suddenly, the noise stopped. I heard dragging noises, thumps down the stairs, laughter, and muffled yells. Zeniba carefully peeked out. The attic was empty, and the men had taken the other downstairs. She rushed out the closet and tried to cast a spell. She slumped against the wall, panting. _

_"I can't do it... I'm too weak... Hideaki, there's nothing we can do... only Haku can help them now...barricade the door." I did what she asked reluctantly. I sat on my bed, and she sat in the rocker in the back of the room, and we listened to the men yelling at them, we could hear Kiyo crying, and suddenly, one earsplitting screaming of pain, horror, and angst broke through, there was a snapping noise, and we could hear the men leaving. I broke down in sobs, knowing that they were all dead. Minutes later, I heard a scream downstairs. My head shot up, and I looked at Zeniba in wonder._

_"Someone's still alive." I said excitedly. I ran to the door and started to open it._

_"No," She said once I cleared the furniture away, "the men are still there. They're trying to get us to come out." Another scream pierced the silent night, ripping through my already broken heart. I could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. It was all too much for me. I broke down sobbing. The door flung open, and there was Haku. _

_"You're alright!!" Kawa screamed, jumping from Haku's arms and hugging me. I held her as Haku went to talk to Zeniba. Suddenly, she dragged him to us and he transformed. _

_"Oh no, they're coming back!! Haku, get them out of here, now!!! Hurry!!" She cried, throwing us on his back. _

_"Yes Haku, I'll stay in the woods or something, just go!!" She yelled after a moment, and we were airborne. Kawa wrapped her arms tightly around my waist, and I had one arm around Haku. _

_"Haku, where are we going?" She yelled, tears falling on the back of my neck. Haku shook his head and I almost fell into the ocean. _

_"What about our parents and my sister?!" She yelled again. I looked at her in shock, but she just shook her head at me. A moment or two later, she looked at Haku and nodded. He dropped us off in front of a large building with a tunnel in it. He gazed at us for a minute, then flew away. Kawa told me everything that Haku had said, and i realized with some shame that I was crying again. I put my hand on her shoulder._

_ "Well then, I'm going to look after you from now on." I took her hand and she gave me a weak smile. We turned to face the tunnel, then ran through, leaving the Spirit World behind.

* * *

_"Dad..." I said, tears running down my cheeks. My mother had left the room to make coffee, but I heard her sniffles. Haku was still sitting up, but I saw that he had tears in his eyes. I knew Haku though; they wouldn't fall.

"That's what happened. Kawa and I were found, put in an orphanage, separated, and reunited in high school. I changed my name, and forgot about the Spirit World." He wiped his eyes and accepted an orange mug from my mom. She handed me a pink one with hot chocolate and Haku a green one. She sipped from her yellow mug and said, "Haku, is that all you need to know?"

"No, but that's all I can get for now I guess... unless you know who the men were?" He looked at my father hopefully, who shook his head.

"No, but I'm positive that you and Zeniba knew... don't you remember?"

"No.. I don't remember a war either... then again, I just recently remembered my former life, all thanks to Chihiro here." He smiled at me, and I did a little bow, stifling a yawn.

"Ok, Chihiro, bedtime! You need to go to school later today! Thank goodness it's an afternoon test, so you can sleep later." She ushered me upthe stairs after I hugged my father good night.

"Mom, where is Haku going to sleep?" I asked, concerned.

"I was going to go back for the night... then return once you were done with school.. if there's no room that is." He had his arm around my waist. My mother considered us briefly.

"I can't believe I'm saying this... he can sleep in your room tonight... on your floor in a sleeping bag. I'm only doing this because I trust and know you Haku."

"Alright. I promise you, you can trust me." He hugged her, bading her good night.

"Chihiro, change in your bathroom!" She yelled just as I closed my bedroom door. Haku flopped down on my bed, sighing.

"That was the longest night of my life." He groaned. I grabbed my pajamas off of my floor and went into my bathroom.

"I know," I said through the door, "I'm so ready for bed. God I'm tired." I shut of my light and flopped onto my bed, just like he had done. Haku sat up a little bit and pulled me next to him.

"You're supposed to sleep on the floor." I said disapprovingly, a big grin on my face. He shrugged.

"So? Besides, it's not like we're gonna do anything, and your parents trust me." He leaned down and kissed me gently. "But if you want me to, I will."

"Did I say that? I take it back." I laughed and snuggled deeper into his arms. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled the balnket over me.

"Good night Chirhiro. I love you." He whispered in my ear. I turned my head and kissed him.

" I love you too. Night." Then, for the first time in ages, I fell asleep with a big grin on my face.

* * *

I woke up at 9:30, I needed to be at the school at 11. I woke up to find Haku gone.

"Haku?" I called groggily. I ffigured that he must be downstairs, and went in the bathroom to take a shower and get dressed. I put on a navy top with a v-neck. Only part of it was navy, the rest was black. Also, a pair of dark blue jeans. Around my neck was a necklace; a silver chain held an intricate gold pattern with a small flower of diamonds inside. I had on silver cascade earrings and brown and tan sandals. As for make-up, I normally don't wear a lot, if any. But, today I felt like wearing some. I put a little emerald glitter on the skin that the v-neck of my shirt showed, a light amount of blue eyeshadow, and a small amount of red lipgloss. I dabbed it, leaving as little as possible, and ran downstairs to eat.

"Morning guys-where's Haku?" I asked, my stomach sinking that he wasn't at the table. My hair was still wet and was in a bun for now.

"He left this morning, saying that he'd be back soon, he needed to talk to Zeniba." My mother patted my shoulder and put a plate of waffles in front of me.

"So, Karin is coming today?" My father asked. I smacked my forehead. Of course! We were getting a foreign exchange student form America, and she was going to live with us for a year! How could I forget?

"Mom, she can't come!!" I yelled. I had been writing and emailing her; she seemed awesome, but she couldn't come, not now!

"Honey, you'll jsut have to tell her." She said. I groaned and ran upstairs, drying my hair. I put it up into a low ponytail, with a few extra strands in front of my face, grabbed my bag, and left for school.

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Once there, I wasted no time in getting to homeroom, where Karin was suppossed to meet me. As soon as I walked into the room, I screamed.

Yubaba was there, and Haku was sitting at a desk with a faraway look on his face.

"Haku, HAKU!"

"Do I know you?" He asked me. My eyes welled up with tears.

"What did you do to him?!"

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**Twist in there, huh? I promise, Karin and a few others come in next chapter!!! Chihiro's clothes are on my profile! **

***huggs* Please review!!!  
**


	19. Burning, Burning, Burning

**Sorry for the long wait.**

**I finished my half, 2:20:22 :D**

**BTW: listen to Avalanche by Marie Digby It's the song from Lincoln Heights and it fits here.  
**

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**Yubaba walked up to me, glaring down at me through a pair of glasses hanging on her large nose. I pressed up against the wall, trying to get as far away as I could.

"You all thought that you killed me. How could a group of pathetic humans kill me, the most powerful witch in the world?!" She raised her hand and slapped me, sending me flying across the room. I heard someone gasp.

"Get away from her!" Someone yelled. My vision was blurry and my head was spinning, so I could only see a figure in front of me.

"I don't know who you are, but there's no way that you're a teacher here!!" Yubaba threw a ball of fire at the girl, who screamed and dropped onto the ground next to me. Part of the roof fell in around us. I coughed and tried to see who the girl was next to me.

She had grayish-green eyes, just like green tea, maybe a little grayer. Her hair was light blonde, almost a dull silver color, with fresh green streaks in it. They were really green, like new leaves on a tree, or fresh grass. It was pulled into a bun so the streaks were swirled, and she had on the school's uniform. She had her hands covering her neck and was under a desk. She looked horrified. I crawled over to her, smoke filling the room. I could hear people outside the room screaming.

"What's going on here?!" She screamed.

"I'll explain later; you wouldn't happen to be Karin, would you?"

"Chihiro? Nice to finally meet you! Bad circumstances though!"

"Well, trust me, things like this are going to happen a lot more, trust me!" I looked over at Haku. He was standing next to Yubaba as she tried to cast spells on people running in the hallway. I knew at once that it wasn't really him.

"We need to get out of here!" I yelled to her over the whooping of the fire alarm. I could smell the burning now and my heart clenched. Yubaba cackled. I crawled in the smoke-filled room, straining to see. I smashed into the wall and opened the window. Bright sunshine and blissfully clean air poured in. I gulped in clean lungfuls of air and looked down. Karin joined me at the windowsill. We were 5 floors up. We could jump if we had to, but there was a chance that we'd get hurt... I stepped up onto the window sill, pulling Karin with me. We tottered on the edge, trying not to fall.

"Maybe we can scoot across to the other room and escape!" Karin whispered. I nodded. She started to edge along the side of the building. Just as I was about to follow her, the fake Haku grabbed me, yanked me back into the room, and flung me into Yubaba's arms. I punched her in the face and tried to escape to the window.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Yubaba screamed and grabbed me by my throat. She pinned me up against the upper half of the window, totally choking off my air supply.

"LET HER GO!!" Karin yelled, darting back in the window. The fake Haku grabbed her arms and restrained her. Once she was immobilized, he lead her out of the room. Her screams echoed throughout the hallways. I could feel my struggles doing nothing. I clawed at her arm around my neck as my arms becoming heavier and my vision blurring. I knew that I was starting to fall unconscious and started to succumb to the darkness, knowing that it was all over. Yubaba had won.

* * *

Haku walked through the door Chihiro's house just as Chihiro walked into her classroom. He was a wreck. He had a cut across his forehead and his arm was bloody. His face was bruised, but other than that, he seemed alright.

"Haku! What happened?!" Kawa ran over and put a wet washcloth over his forehead, trying to staunch the blood flow.

"I'm alright, just got attacked a little on the way back."

"I thought you were going to school with Chihiro." Hideaki said, taking a bite of toast.

"She left already? I must've stayed later than I thought I did... I should go now."

"No, not while you're looking like this. Let me fix you up a little bit." Kawa forced him down in a chair. Hideaki took another bite of toast.

"Alright." She carefully examined his head wound and started cleaning it. Hideaki took another bite of toast and turned the news on.

"-and a large explosion happened at Shikkon High School just moments ago, hundreds of students are evacuating, but rescuers say that a few might still be trapped inside." The solemn female reporter said as the camera zoomed in on the 5th floor. A room was filled with smoke, obviously where the explosion occurred. You could just barely see in the window through all of the smoke, and you could see orange glow of flames in the hallway. Kawa dropped the bottle of hydrogen peroxide in her hand and it spilled all over the tiles of the kitchen. She turned to look at Haku. The kitchen door swung shut with a slight bang. Kawa looked at her husband in horror to discover that he was gone too. He came in the room, tossed her her jacket and snatched the car keys.

* * *

Haku ran as fast as he could to the woods. Once he had enough cover, he transformed and flew towards the school, filled with fury. He knew that Yubaba was behind all of this, and he swore that this would end; here, now, today.

As he approached the school, he was in so much shock, he almost transformed back. The entire school was engulfed in flames, and people nearby were standing around in horror. They knew that they couldn't do anything except stay out of the way. He landed on the rooftop and transformed back to human form. The ceiling beneath his feet collapsed and he fell into the burning building. He coughed heavily and crawled on his hands knees, feeling the massive amount of heat around him. Haku crawled from room to room, screaming for Chihiro. After three rooms, he found someone. The girl was tied up under a desk. She had on the school's uniform and blonde hair with green swirls.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!!" She screamed when he unbound her mouth.

"I'm going to help you, it's alright-"

"NO! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO TIED ME UP HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!" She tried to fight him, but she was tired, hurt, and scared.

"Whoever tied you up, it wasn't me. Let me get you out of here!" He said urgently. He could hear the building groaning and knew that they only had a little bit of time. He rose to his knees, his head spinning. Haku grabbed the desk and smashed the window. He heard people outside screaming. He grabbed the biggest shard of glass and cut the ropes on her arms. His blood fell onto her legs as he cut them free.

"Do you know where Chihiro is?!" He yelled as she stretched her legs and arms so she could move them.

"Yeah! I think she's still in room 611. That teacher lady got her, along with that guy that looked like you!" She started to crawl out of the room. "C'mon, I'll show you!" They made their way up the stairs, knowing that the fire was worsening. The smoke was getting thicker and the heat was almost unbearable. The thought of Chihiro was all that kept Haku going. They finally reached the room. Haku held his breath, stood up, and kicked the door down. As soon as it was broken, he dropped to his knees again. Right there in the middle of the room was Chihiro. He was at her side in seconds. There was an open window maybe 6 feet away from her. She was bloody and bruised. Haku put a hand to her neck and felt for a pulse. It was weak and irregular, but definitely there. He looked over to the other girl.

"Help me get her to the window." He ordered, fear in his voice. Just was he finished his sentence, the wall behind them collapsed. The fiery inferno in the hallway seemed to be chasing them, and Haku swore that along with the crackling of the fire, he could hear Yubaba's crazed laughter. He shook his head and with the girl's help, dragged Selena to the window.

"Ok, not now, but in a minute, toss her out, ok?"

"WHAT?!"

"You'll know when, ok? I promise, she'll be ok!" With that, Haku jumped out of the window. Karin screamed and looked out, expecting to see him falling to his death. Instead, there was a white dragon just below the window, looking at her expectantly.

"It's you! You're a...dragon?!" She shook her head and felt tears flowing down her cheeks. The floor above them started to crumble.

"I'm dead, I know it. This isn't real anymore!" She leaned up against the wall and sobbed. Haku tried to communicate with her, but she was blocking him out. The 6th floor fell in with a groan. Haku flew into the room and grabbed the two girls just before they were crushed. He groaned as several chunks of the burning building landed on him, but he just flew out the window. He flew towards the general direction of Chihiro's house, but couldn't make it. He dropped carefully onto a nearby rooftop and transformed back to normal. He sunk to his knees, shaking. He was burned so badly, and he was in so much pain, but he had to be sure Chihiro was alright before anything else happened. He lifted her head up, realizing that he was chanting her name over and over again.

"Chihiro...please Chihiro... stay with me..." The wind brushed against his burns, causing him agonizing pain. He tried to hold it in, but a strangled cry escaped him. He curled his fists into balls and drew blood. He turned to the girl, who was standing on the edge of the rooftop, watching in horror as the school collasped.

"Who...Who are you?" He leaned up against a heating duct, wincing as the cool metal pressed up against his burned back. She turned and looked at him.

"My name...my name is Karin. I'm Chihiro's foreign exchange student from America. Who are you?" She spoke with hesitation. He knew that she was afraid and confused.

"My name's Haku. I know, Chihiro and I have a lot of explaining to do, and we will, once we get to safety." He stood up and transformed.

_'Hurry, we're being chased.' _His voice said in her mind. She turned her head to see a large black bird coming out of the burning ruins of the school. She carefully hoisted Chihiro up onto his back and tried to sit on a place that wasn't burned.

_'Hang on.' _He warned and took off. She nearly flew off and clutched Chihiro to her tightly just as the girl groaned. She was still trapped in the depths of her subconscious.

"Haku..." She groaned. Haku dropped a few feet in shock, but rose back up.

_'Chihiro...'_ He thought despairingly. His voice was filled with concern and love.

'He loves her.' Karin realized with a small smile.

* * *

Kawa screamed as Hideaki swerved to avoid an oncoming fire truck. She glanced in her mirror to see the school, but it seemed to be missing out of the skyline. As they got closer, they saw the destruction. The school had been reduced to a pile of burning rubble. Kawa passed out as Hideaki got out of the car. He ran over to a group of kids.

"Is everyone alright?" He asked a 10th grade boy that lived nearby.

"Yeah, everyone's out." His face was ash white.

"Where's Chihiro?"

"I'm not sure...but I'm sure that she-" He cut off when a loud screeching noise behind them interrupted him. A huge black bird burst out of the wreckage, sending chunks of the building flying everywhere. It seemed to be chasing a very long and thin...airplane?

"What is that thing it's chasing? It's so thin and long... like a snake!" A girl standing next to the boy shrieked. The student argued amongst themselves about what it could be while Hideaki ran to the car, put it in drive, spun in a half circle, and followed it.

* * *

"Where are we going?!" Karin screamed to Haku over the whistling wind. They were maybe 5 feet off of the ground, flying through woods.

_'Somewhere safe. Hang on tight, I know what I'm doing.'_ She saw the mouth of a tunnel coming up. It had been boarded over.

_'Crap. This might be a little shakey.'_

"What are you doing?!" She screamed as Haku bust through the boards, nails and wood slivers cutting at them. Haku hissed in pain and suddenly, there was a bright flash of light. Karin went flying. She skidded on the dirt for a moment and saw a large battle taking place. She had landed at the feet of a large spider-looking guy. He helped her to her feet.

"You come here with Haku?"

She nodded, dumbstruck. He smirked.

"He better have kept my granddaughter safe!"

Karin turned to see the woman who had attacked Chihiro in the school standing next to her. She screamed.

* * *

**Nice long update for you guys! School is busy, but I'm having fun updating in Journalism class! lol. :D **

***huggs* REVIEW PLZ!  
**


	20. The Bathhouse

**I really need some reviews to cheer me up...**

**sorry for the wait. I was going to update...but things have been difficult......**

**personal stuff, nothing to worry about  
**

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"Relax! She's one of us!"

"No, she's the one who-"

"This is her twin sister." He carefully handed Chihiro to the woman and spoke to her. "Zeniba, we need to get back to headquarters." The woman nodded and took off. Haku grabbed Karin's hand and pulled her away from the battle. Just as she turned away, a human sized green frog was impaled. She moaned quietly and felt her stomach spinning.

"Where are we going?" She asked. "I'm not going any further until you tell me!"

"If you don't go any further, you'll be killed!" He shot back, silencing her. Karin shut her mouth and followed him. She trusted him, he had saved her life after all. But something about this just screamed _'dream'._

"This can't be real. This is some kind of dream. I'm still in the school, passed out. That's it!" She smiled. Haku shoved her behind a large, human looking statue. There were tons of them, and there was apparently a small town just ahead. Haku pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Karin, I don't know what kind of things you Americans believe, but this is all real. I'll explain everything once we're at headquarters, alright?" His voice was dangerously low, and she felt actually afraid of him. She nodded. He peeked around the statue and sighed.

"Finally. Ok, just follow me, understand?" He took off at a brisk walk, with Karin close behind him. Up ahead she could see the woman whom he had given Chihiro to. He ran to catch up, leaving her behind. When she caught up, she could hear them arguing.

"-but she'll be fine Haku, honestly!"

"I don't care, I want to see her the instant she wakes up." Haku groaned quietly and shook his head. Karin put a hand on his shoulder.

"She'll be fine. She's strong." Haku gave her a small smile and a nod.

"You're right." He started walking forward, hesitating a moment for her. She caught up with him and they walked together towards a large building.

"So... you're the exchange student that Chihiro is sponsering?"

"Yes. And, i'm sorry, but I have no idea who the heck you are."

"I'm an old friend of Chihiro's. I've known her since she was very young." He said with a small smile.

"You aren't human," She started slowly, "are you?" He stopped a moment and looked at her.

"No, I'm not." He gave her a comforting smile. "Most people here aren't." Just as he said that, a large frog-woman and a little frog baby walked past, greeting Haku excitedly.

"Where are we going?" She asked as they walked over a bridge towards the largest building in the area.

"The Bathhouse. There's some people you need to meet if you're to stay here." He bowed to the small frog at the entrance of the Bathhouse and walked through the doors. She followed him cautiously. _'How hard did I hit my head?'_

_

* * *

_Chihiro woke up just as the sun began to set in the west. She was laying in a small bed in a small, plain looking room. She sat up slowly, holding her head. It was crudely bandaged.

"So, you're awake." A familiar voice said nearby. She followed the sound to see Zeniba standing in the doorway, holding a bowl.

"Yeah..." She smiled and sat up straight, her joints cracking as she did so. "Zeniba, why is it always me who gets hurt?" She asked smiling.

The witch laughed. "Because you're such a threat." She said, one hundred percent serious. She sat on the edge of the bed and handed the bowl to Chihiro. She took it gratefully.

"So, where's Haku?" She asked, blowing off a spoon of the hot soup before trying it. It was savory and rich and really good. Her stomach growled for more.

"He's at the Bathhouse, he'll be here soon." She smiled and kissed the girl's head. "You try and rest." She said with a smile.

"Ok Granny." She smiled and nestled deeper into the warm blankets, allowing the darkness to take her over once more.

* * *

Haku walked through the halls of the Bathhouse, Karin close at his heels.

"Is this headquarters?" She asked. He shook his head.

"Sort of. There's headquarters for the fighters, here, and headquarters for Chihiro, myself, Zeniba, Kamajii, and Rin." He explained. She was confused.

"Kamajii? Rin?"

"You've met Kamajii. He was the one who was asking about Chihiro during the battle." She remembered the kind person who she had met: the one who was part spider.

"Rin?"

"Chihiro's aunt. Long story. I'll explain later. Right now, we need to find her and all of us will go to headquarters together." He opened a door and peered inside. He swore violently and grabbed a young woman by the arm.

"Becka, do you know where Rin is?" He asked. She nodded and pointed forward.

"Show us." He said, running after her. Karin followed, still confused. After a few minutes of running, they arrived at a door. Haku opened it. A young woman was sleeping on the floor.

"Rin." He said quietly, shaking her shoulder. She shot awake, yelling inchoherently.

"We need to go back to headquarters. We have a problem." She rubbed her eyes and regarded in blearily.

"We're in the middle of a war Dragon boy, and you're just realizing that we have a problem?" She said sarcastically. Her eyes passed over Karin and gave Becka a warm smile. Her eyes snapped back to the American girl and she gasped.

"Haku, another human? What is it with you and bringing humans here?" She groaned exasperatedly. Haku gave her a wry smile that Karin didn't see.

"Long story. She was attacked with us." He said as she stood up and searched the messy room.

"Attacked?" She turned and dropped the kimono she held and looked at them in shock. "You were attacked?"

"Yes. Everything's fine." He said quietly. She turned back to the pile of clothes and dug through it. She pulled out a cloak and clasped it around her neck. She then kicked the pile of clothes.

"My roommates are such slobs." She shook her head with a small smile. She then walked over to Karin, her hand extended. "My name's Rin."

"I'm Karin." She shook the woman's hand and gave her a small smile.

"Wow Rin, I don't think I've ever seen you this friendly before." Haku smirked. Rin stuck out her tongue while Becka silently laughed. Karin looked at the young teenager and at Haku.

"Becka's mute." He explained. Karin felt bad. She gave the young teen a warm smile, which she returned.

"Ok, let's get going." Rin said, walking out of the room. Haku followed after Karin. Becka waved goodbye to the ground. Karin had just enough time to give her a quick wave before they turned the corner.

They followed Rin to an elevator. She pressed a button and the doors opened with a small ding. The group stepped inside silently. As the doors shut, Rin pulled a lever. The elevator started to descend.

"So, where's Chihiro?" She asked Haku. He shook his head.

"She's already at headquarters." He replied quietly after a moment. She stared at him for a moment, pondering his words.

"What happened?"

He turned to her. "What makes you think that something happened?"

"Well, first you said earlier that you were attacked," She said ticking off fingers, "you've been quiet, she's at headquarters without you, and I've known you for almost a hundred years kid. I know when something's wrong."

"A hundred years?" Karin asked, her voice cracking.

"Time moves faster here than it does in the Human World." Haku said to her. He then turned back to Rin. "She was unconscious. I gave her to Zeniba to take back to headquarters. She's going to be fine, maybe a slight concussion." They reached the ground floor and walked out of the Bathhouse.

"General Haku, I need to speak to you." A voice said. Karin turned to see a green man with webbed hands and feet walking towards them.

_'General?' She thought, amazed._

"Take Karin back to headquarters, I'll meet up with you later." He said to Rin. She nodded and he walked off with the man, talking in hushed tones.

"General?" She asked Rin incredulously. Rin smiled.

"Yeah. See, back before Chihiro came here..." As they headed for headquarters, Rin told Karin everything. She listened attentively, not wanting to miss anything. When Rin was done, they had reached a small house.

* * *

**Sorry the ending isn't that good. I'm tired, and I don't feel that good. Please review :D *huggs* **


	21. Reunited and Yubaba deals with a pest

**I'm sorry guys. I know it took me a while to update, but I had a few personal issues, and school stress and life interfered... you know how it is. :/ I almost lost my muse for this, but a few friends helped me get it back. :D

* * *

**Rin entered the small house after quickly knocking. The same older woman from before ran over to them.

"She just woke up. I gave her some food and she fell back asleep. She's fine." She said in a hushed tone. Rin nodded and sat down in a chair. Karin watched the older woman warily.

"Oh, Zeniba, this is Karin. She's a friend of Chihiro's. Karin, this is Zeniba." She shook the older woman's hand with a soft smile. Rin kicked a chair gently in Karin's direction.

"Sit. It could be a while." Karin sat down just as Zeniba handed the two bowls of soup. Rin grinned.

"Thanks. I haven't eaten in so long!" She began eating hungrily. Karin realized just how long it had been since she had eaten and began eating too, savoring the taste of the soup, the firmness of the vegetables, and the richness of the broth. Just as she finished and was about to ask for more, the door opened. Haku walked in, looking a little upset. Zeniba ran over to him.

"What's wrong Dragon Boy?" Rin asked, frightened.

"We just lost the entire first line of the western defense." He said, his hands trembling. He was crouched over in his seat, his eyes tortured. "Yubaba's moving fast. I'm not sure how much time we have left before she gets through."

"How many men was that Haku?"

"About 50. And, she attacked the village nearby. Women, children, everyone was slaughtered. The village was burned, but the bodies were spared. I had the second line start burying everyone. There's so many dead..." His words broke off and he took a deep breath. The group was silent as they all took a moment for the souls of the dead.

"What happens if someone dies here?" Karin asked quietly.

"They move on to another world. We're not sure. I just hope they're at peace." Haku said quietly, bowing his head. Suddenly, they heard movement in the next room. Haku jumped up and ran into the bedroom. Zeniba turned to the others with a soft smile.

"Chihiro's awake."

* * *

Chihiro opened her eyes and stretched. Her head still ached dully, but she felt fine otherwise. The door opened slowly and Haku peeked in. His face light up as he saw her awake.

"Chihiro." He sighed in relief and ran to her side.

"Haku." She smiled and reached up. He hugged her tightly, holding her against his chest. He realized she was trembling.

"What's wrong?" He asked with a soft chuckle, wiping a tear from her cheek. She flushed slightly and met his gaze.

"I thought I lost you." She said, her voice shaking. He held her tightly.

"No. I'm here, I'm here." He said soothingly, stroking her hair. She buried her face in his shirt and sobbed quietly, happy he was alright. After a few minutes, her tears dried up and her sobs turned into gentle hiccups.

"Better?" He asked, wiping a final tear from her eye. She nodded and gave him a small smile. It warmed his heart to see her smile.

"I've missed you." He said quietly, tracing circles on the back of her hand.

"I've missed you too. I really have." She said. She raised her hand and placed it on his chest, feeling his strong heartbeat. He squeezed her hand gently and gave her a soft smile. She laid her head on his shoulder with a happy sigh and snuggled close to him. He leaned his back against the wall and held her tighter. They sat in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying being together.

"Is everyone alright?" She asked quietly. He nodded.

"Everyone's fine. Karin is confused, but fine." She laughed quietly. He chuckled too and shifted slightly, moving her to a more comfortable position. He then stopped stroking her hair and dropped his hand to her cheek. He lifted her face up to his and kissed her gently. She sighed and kissed him back. His lips were soft and the kiss was so sweet. After a few moments, it got deeper and needier. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled them closer together. He placed one hand on her hip and another on the back of her head. She tightened her arms around his neck with a quiet sigh. After a few more minutes, he pulled away from her and pressed his forehead against hers, both breathing heavily.

"I love you." He whispered. She nodded against him.

"I love you too." She said softly. He held her close as the last few rays of the sun disappeared behind the horizon. She fell asleep in his arms, happier than she had been in a long time.

* * *

Yubaba sighed and sat back in her chair, pleased with her day's work. While they hadn't found the headquarters of Haku's army, they had defeated number of his soldiers. She sighed and took a long drag off of her cigarette.

"Yubaba, if you will, I have information from the front lines." A soldier said to her with a bow. She waved her hand with an internal groan. Not another boring report.

"The rebels are getting stronger it seems, and there seems to be another human joining the high ranks." She sat up, interested.

"Another human?"

"Yes. Her name is Karin Harper. 15 years old, American, 5' 11". Light blonde hair, light green streaks. She's been seen with Haku and your sister-"

Yubaba shot up and angrily knocked everything off of her desk. "I HAVE NO SISTER!" She screamed. After a moment, she sighed and closed her eyes, reaching up and fixing her hair. With a wave of her hand, the items on the floor repaired themselves and moved back up the their spot on the desk. The soldier stood straight up and continued. "We're not sure of her role in the war, but she seems to not understand what's going on."

"Hmm.... this could come in handy..." She said slowly, a plan forming in her mind. She clenched her fists together and banged them on the desk.

"Find her. Bring her here. I don't care what it takes, but get her here!" She demanded. The soldier bowed.

"Yes General." He left the tent quickly. He didn't even make it 20 feet when he met the Captain.

"Captain!" He bowed his head quickly and saluted. The Captain returned the gesture.

"At ease."

"I have orders from the General."

"And?"

"We're to capture the girl."

"The teenager?"

"Not Chihiro, the other one."

The Captain sighed, shaking his head. "I can't believe it's come to this... kidnapping teenagers."

"What should we do sir?" The Captain took the young man's arm and pulled him a distance away from the tent."You leave. Run away. I'm putting together a revolt for later tonight. Leave while you can." The man nodded and saluted once more before he took off running.

"Godspeed." The Captain said quietly, watching as the man escaped. Suddenly, a loud snap echoed throughout the camp. The soldier instantly dropped to the ground, dead. The Captain let out a cry and fell backwards, scrambling backwards. Yubaba strode out of her tent and stopped when she saw him. She leered at him and walked over to him, standing over the frightened man.

"So... you're planning a revolt?" He gulped and tried to scramble backwards more, when she pulled a knife out of nowhere. She threw it down at the screaming man. It stuck through his uniform and pinned him to the ground. He struggled to pull it out, until Yubaba stepped on his wrist. He groaned in pain as his spine stretched too far.

"Who else is in on this?" She asked in a deadly tone. He shook his head.

"I'll never tell!" He cried out. She exerted more pressed on his wrist. He yelped and cried out in pain. A few soldiers had gathered at a distance, wondering what was happening.

"Tell me!" She screamed. He let out a pained gasp.

"Alright! Only me and him. I hadn't told anyone yet. I was going to at dinner." He gasped. She kept the pressure on his wrist, lessening it only a little.

"Are you lying to me?" She said in a low tone. He shook his head wildly. "No! I swear, it's the truth." She nodded and removed her foot. He cried out and pulled his wrist into the huddle of his body, cradling the broken appendage against his chest.

"I believe you." He looked up, hopeful as she knelt down and pulled the dagger out of the ground.

"Oh thank you for sparing me General!" He cried out. She smirked cruelly.

"Who said anything about sparing you?" His eyes widened and he scrambled backwards, slamming into a tree. He pressed his body up against the trunk of the tree as she came closer.

"Oh please, don't kill me.." He begged, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. By now the entire army had gathered a distance away. He met his soldier's gaze cried out one last thing:

"Don't listen to her! Leave while you still can! Don't just-"

But his words were drowned out by a wild cry. His own screams mixed with the cry, until suddenly, it was cut off. Everything was still and silent. A bird nearby sang a song of lament as Yubaba returned to her tent stoically.

* * *

**Sorry it's kinda short, but I really wanted to get a update up. Ideas would be useful, and please, review. It won't bite, I promise :D **


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